As a teenager, Kikuchi appeared in television commercials in her native land, but her first film role was in the
1999 Japanese film
Will to Live. After appearing in several other Japanese-language films in the next few years, she was cast as the deaf-mute, sensual teenager Chieko alongside
Brad Pitt and
Cate Blanchett in
Babel. In order to play the character, Kikuchi had to rely almost entirely on facial expressions and body movement to convey the inner life of the conflicted Chieko. She is slated to star alongside
Adrien Brody,
Rachel Weisz, and
Mark Ruffalo in the upcoming crime drama,
The Brothers Bloom.