In 2009, at age 14, she entered the “J-Idol Audition” organized by a local talent agency. Though she didn’t win, she caught the eye of scouts from AKB48’s sister group SKE48. After a rigorous training period, she officially joined SKE48’s Team S in March 2012, debuting at the group’s 23rd single “Kaze no Yukue”.

It is common for fans to confuse the personal lives of performers with the characters they play. For example, while (a former member of the idol group Nogizaka46) announced her real-life marriage to musician Yuki Kurei in December 2025, there is no verified public information confirming a real-world marriage for Mina Kitano. Her "married" status is almost exclusively a recurring theme in her professional filmography.