Kikuchi started internationally for the first time in the short track at the Junior World Championships 2011 in Courmayeur and achieved fifth place with the relay. At the 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck , she won bronze medals in speed skating over 1500 m and in mass start and short track over 1000 m. She made her debut in the Short Track World Cup at the beginning of the 2013/14 season in Shanghai and achieved 43rd place over 500 m. At the 2014 World Championships in Montreal , she was eighth with the relay. The following year she won the bronze medal with the relay at the Junior World Championships in Osaka . At the 2015 World Championships in Moscow , she took fourth place with the relay. In the 2015/16 season she achieved her first top ten placement in the World Cup singles in Dresden with sixth place over 1500 m and came on the podium for the first time in the World Cup with third place in the relay. At the season highlight, the 2016 World Championships in Seoul , she finished seventh with the relay. In the 2016/17 season she achieved her best result in the individual World Cup with fourth place in the 1000 m in Minsk . At the Winter Asian Games 2017 in Sapporo , she won the bronze medal in the 1000 m. In March 2017 she won the bronze medal with the relay at the World Championships in Rotterdam . In addition, she finished there with the 34th place over 500 m, with the 28th place over 1000 m and with the 20th place over 1500 m, the 27th place in the all-around competition. In the 2017/18 season she ran at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang on 29th place over 500 m, 20th place over 1000 m, 11th place over 1500 m and sixth place with the relay and at the World Championships 2018 in Montreal on 13th place in the all-around and on fifth place with the relay. In November 2018, she finished third with the season in Salt Lake City .
Japan
