Kimi Finster

Kimi Watanabe-Finster is a fictional character on the television shows Rugrats and All Grown Up. Introduced in Rugrats in Paris: The Movie, she is the step-sister of Chuckie Finster. She is voiced by Dionne Quan. Born into a Japanese family, she was the last character to be introduced to the Rugrats character list when her mother married the father of Chuckie Finster, a regular character on the show. She later appeared in the series All Grown Up!.

Fictional life
Kimi was the last addition to the cast of Rugrats, making her first appearance in the second Rugrats movie, Rugrats in Paris: The Movie. In Rugrats, the two-year-old Kimi was portrayed as very brave and often stumbled into dangerous situations she was too naive to recognize, often bringing her step-brother, Chuckie, along, much to his dismay.

She was introduced as Chuckie's new step-sister, after her mother, Kira Watanabe-Finster, married Chuckie's father, Chaz Finster after she divorced Hiro Watanabe. This marriage and the changes it brought to the Finster family were used in Rugrats to teach the child viewers, by demonstration, about adapting to such drastic changes caused by divorce and remarriage. Kimi is a legal citizen of three countries, namely Japan (through birthright), United States of America (legal citizenship when her mother Kira was married to Chaz), and France (through birthright and when Kira earned her work permit to work at Euro Reptarland).

Kimi is depicted as being an avid fan of the fictional television show Dummy Bears; watching Dummy Bears had an almost hypnotic effect on her. She was still a fan of this show years later, in All Grown Up, although it has loses its hypnotic hold on her as she grows up. She also had a cherished favorite doll, named "Superthing."



In All Grown Up!, set approximately eight or nine years later, Kimi grew up and matured to some extent. Her ages is never clearly defined, but it is largely assumed that she is 10 years old. She retained her headstrong personality and had a tendency to buck the trend on how she feels about and treats less popular kids, including Z. She was also portrayed as being supportive of her friends when they were in need. However, Kimi is also portrayed as having a tendency to hold grudges, particularly when her trust is violated. In the episode "Truth or Consequences" she reacted badly to betrayal, and disliked it when people would not trust her judgement ("Bad Kimi"). She also disliked it when Chuckie became over-protective (according to the official Cooltoons website).

Angelica Pickles could be considered somewhat of an associate, but grudgingly so on Kimi's behalf. In contrast to her days in Rugrats, where Kimi showed some admiration towards Angelica, in All Grown Up!, Kimi has somewhat of a dislike for Angelica, outlined by her outright refusal to help her in "Lucky 13".

Character Synopsis
There are many defining episodes where Kimi has showed some development as character. However, the traits disappear after one episode; traits, which will be detailed here.

As seen in the episode "Memoirs of a Finster", Kimi gains a newfound appreciation for her Japanese heritage, while doing research for her family tree project.

She even put on a Kabuki dance featuring her and her family to spread her appreciation of the culture to the audience (unfortunately, one mishap after another takes place on stage). Nevertheless, it is another side of Kimi that has come to light- a person who takes pride in her heritage.

Kimi also seems to be a born opportunist, ready to nip any golden opportunity in the bud as it comes. A classic example can be found in the episode, "Chuckie in Love", where she sees a chance to attend a Sulky Boys record signing by letting Chuckie take over her shift (which, incidentally, falls at the same time as the signing) in exchange for a makeover.

It's been revealed in the episode "Dude, Where's My Horse?" that Kimi can't cook.... However by the end of their stay at the ranch, her cooking had improved, her "secret ingredients" being 'tofu' and 'bar-be-que sauce'.



Kimi works part-time at the Java Lava, her family's coffee shop, with her brother, Chuckie, her father, Chaz (who is the owner of the Java Lava).