Cure the World with Pretty Cure!

Pretty Cure or PreCure is a vibrant and kawaii world of magical girls! Created by Izumi Todo and Bandai, this anime franchise stars cute girls (and occasionally, guys) who transform into superheroes to defeat the forces of darkness. With 20 main series since its creation, the show has been embodying the themes of friendship, courage, and hope for more than two decades. Loved by anime fans and kawaii fans of all ages, Pretty Cure is meant for everyone! 

• Japanese name: プリキュアシリーズ ( pronounced Purikyua Shirīzu) 
• Number of series: 20 main series
• Number of Pretty Cure girls: 77 
• Genres: Mahou Shojo (Magical Girl), Superhero, Shoujo (Girls’ genre) 
• Fun Fact: The characters were originally supposed to have Gothic Lolita outfits! 

WHAT DOES PRETTY CURE MEAN? 

As it turns out, Pretty Cure isn't just about looking cute and kawaii. Sure, Pretty Cure is filled with cute magical girls, but the show is really about curing! Girls in the show try to heal the world by defeating the forces of darkness with the power of hope, love, and light. 

Each season of the PreCure franchise features different 'Pretty Cures' or magical girls who harness the power of transformation to become superheroes and stand up against evil! These girls all have different looks, quirks, and abilities. 

WHY IS PRETTY CURE ALSO CALLED PRECURE? 

Easy peasy, Japanese-ey! Shortening and merging words is a popular trend in Japan, and Pretty Cure is no exception. Squeeze 'Pretty' and 'Cure' together, and what do you get? That's right - 'PreCure'. It's simply a more streamlined and catchy title that makes it easier to remember. 

WHAT IS PRETTY CURE ALL ABOUT? 

The show is all about magical girls called Pretty Cures doing their best to save the world! Each girl has a special weapon that allows them to transform and gain power. They become just like superheroes when they transform! 

Not only that, but they also have special friends called fairies who help them out in their fights against the forces of Darkness! These fairies are pretty kawaii - they look like small animal companions like cats, bears, bunnies, and more. Fairies definitely add a major dose of cuteness to the show!  

WHAT IS THE JAPANESE NAME FOR PRETTY CURE?

In Japan, our magical girl squad is simply known as プリキュアシリーズ or Purikyua Shirīzu. It directly translates to the Pretty Cure series in English. Before it became the big franchise that it is today, the very first Pretty Cure show was called Futari Wa Pretty Cure. The name translates to "We are Pretty Cure.” It was named this way because the show started with only two Pretty Cures with Cure White (Yukishiro Honoka) and Cure Black (Misumi Nagisa)! 

WHEN WAS THE ORIGINAL PRETTY CURE RELEASED? 

Pretty Cure has been around for a very, very long time. The very first Pretty Cure series came out all the way back in 2004. Hoping to fly into the Magical Girl genre after the success of shows like Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura, Bandai decided to team up with writing group Izumi Todo to produce their own show, Pretty Cure. 

WHY DID THE PRETTY CURE DUB FAIL? 

The first Pretty Cure series was a major hit in Japan, and it produced a whole lot of main shows, films, and other adaptations. Unfortunately, while it made waves among Japanese girls and kawaii aficionados, Pretty Cure didn’t have enough glitter to wow casual fans in the US.

According to fans and analysts, it’s because the show’s production company, Toei, failed to pick out a good set of dubbing artists. Most anime fans love the original Japanese audio, and when anime shows do have dubs, viewers want them to be good. However, Toei opted to pick voice actors and actresses from Canada. Viewers from the US didn’t quite enjoy the Canadian dub of the show. However, while the dub was a flop, anime aficionados in the West still fell in love with the original version of Pretty Cure. 

HOW MANY PRETTY CURE SHOWS ARE THERE? 

Oh boy, buckle up! From its initial debut until the release of Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure in 2023, there have been 20 main series and quite a number of anime movies in the Pretty Cure franchise. Each season brings a fresh storyline, characters, and unique transformation themes. No wonder anime fans love the franchise so much. Don’t worry if you want to learn more about all the main shows and their characters, you can check our complete list of Pretty Cure characters! 

WHICH PRETTY CURE SERIES IS THE BEST? 

Each Pretty Cure fan has a different answer. After all, we have different things we look for when we talk about great anime shows. However, if we check out the ratings of all the Pretty Cure shows online, it seems like Go! Princess Pretty Cure might be a pretty strong contender for the number one spot. 

WHICH PRETTY CURE SERIES IS THE DARKEST? 

Pretty Cure might be all about magical girls, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t get serious! One of the reasons why the show is so well-loved is because it also tackles problems people have in real life. Hugtto Pretty Cure was known to touch upon some heavy topics like bullying, family issues, and childbirth. To many fans, the darkest series was Heartcatch Pretty Cure with a subplot involving death and trauma. Pretty Cure doesn’t shy away from difficult conversations! 

IS THERE A MALE PRETTY CURE? 

Why, everyone can be a Pretty Cure if they want to! While the PreCure squad primarily consists of magical girls, there are some cute boys who have transformed into Pretty Cures. The first one is Wakamiya Henri from Hugtto! Pretty Cure. In the show, the miracle of the Mirai Brace allowed him to turn into the alter ego, Cure Infini after a severe car crash stopped him from joining his figure skating competition. 

In 2023, the first official permanent male Pretty Cure was added to the roster! This special boy is Yuunagi Tsubasa, one of the lead characters of Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure. He transforms into Cure Wing, a bird-themed Pretty Cure that can fly swiftly through the Sky. 

IS PRETTY CURE LGBTQIA? 

Being all about light and love, Pretty Cure has helped make strides in the acceptance of the LGBTQ in Japan! Not only does it have androgynous non-conforming boys and girls, but it’s also brave enough to have unambiguous gay couples in the show. 

In Kira Kira Precure a la Mode, it’s Kotozume Yukari and her girlfriend Kenjou Akira. In Hugtto! Pretty Cure it’s the cute side characters Aisaki Masato and Wakamiya Henri. Love is love is love in the fantastic world of PreCure! 

WHO IS THE SMARTEST PRETTY CURE?

Woah, woah, woah! We don’t want to start a fan war! Everyone wants their fave Pretty Cure to be the best and the brightest. Still, many fans do say though that the crown should go to Yukishiro Honoka (Cure White) from the first two series Futari Wa Pretty Cure and Futari Wa Pretty Cure Max Heart. Not only is she strategic as a Pretty Cure but she’s also really smart at school! She’s so good with her studies that her classmates even call her the Queen of Knowledge.

WHO IS THE ANTAGONIST OF PRETTY CURE? 

A hero is only as good as their villain, and PreCure is chock-full of menacing baddies. Each season introduces a different antagonist, each with their own unique motives and methods. These antagonists typically embody despair and chaos. 

Some of the popular baddies in the Bandai franchise include Regina from Doki Doki Pretty Cure, the Kiryuu Sisters from Pretty Cure Splash Star, and the Gothic Lolita villain from Pretty Cure Ala Mode, Bibury. 

HOW TO DRAW PRETTY CURE CHARACTERS

It's not that hard once you set your mind to it! There are a lot of great tutorial videos online which teach you how to draw Pretty Cure characters from scratch. Just grab a pencil, some paper, load up a tutorial video, and get to drawing! 

FIGHT THE FORCES OF EVIL WITH PRECURE VIDEO GAMES! 

That’s right. Pretty Cure isn’t all about anime - it has its own line of video games to boot! What would you expect from a franchise made by Bandai? Not only does it have puzzle app games, but it also has a lot of platform games like Koe de Asobō! HeartCatch PreCure!, Suite PreCure: Melody Collection, and Smile PreCure! Let's Go! Märchen World for Nintendo DS. These platform games are a mix of mini games and quest games that fans can enjoy! 

THE HEALING VOICE OF PRETTY CURE

Even without their magic, the girls in Pretty Cure are pretty talented. That’s why it should come as no surprise that the franchise has the PreCure girlies singing their hearts out in the fantasy musical anime movie Pretty Cure All Stars: Singing with Everyone♪ Miraculous Magic! Directed by Yutaka Tsuchida, written by Isao Murayama, and produced by Toei Animation, the film showcased classic PreCure magical hijinks but this time with a lot of singing! It did pretty well in Japan, making it to the Top 10 films during its release week. 

From time to time, Pretty Cure also holds live concerts for fans in Japan. These events usually gather together the series’ OP/ED singers as well as voice actors. For 2023, Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure is getting its own live concert at Pacifico Yokohama’s National Convention Hall on October 21. Exciting!  

PRECURE TAKES CENTER STAGE

Television isn’t enough to contain the magical forces of PreCure! Leaping onto the stage, Pretty Cure holds occasional plays for fans of all ages. In 2016, the franchise had a musical stage play called PreCure Show Mahou Tsukai PreCure x Kirakira PreCure A La Mode Show. It showcased singing and dancing character mascots from KiraKira PreCure A La Mode. 

2023 is also going to be an exciting year for Pretty Cure fans because the magical world of PreCure is getting its very first series stage play in the fall! Titled Dancing☆Star Precure, the play is extra special because it’s going to feature the very first all-male Pretty Cure team. Directed and penned by Hosakayo, Dancing☆Star Precure will have its first show in Tokyo in October 28, 2023. After that, the stage play will head to Osaka in November 10, 2023. 

ADD TO YOUR PRECURE KNOWLEDGE! 

It seems like anime series and movies aren’t enough for the PreCure fanbase! Supplementing the main shows, Pretty Cure has quite a number of light novels aimed at teenage fans. Not only do they teach fans about magic and healing, but they also teach students how to improve their reading comprehension! 

The franchise also has quite a number of art books and fan books. They focus on the design of the characters, the making of the series, and fun facts about the show. Hardcore PreCure fans love collecting these books! 

CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF PRETTY CURE! 

Pretty Cure is having its 20th anniversary in 2024 and to hype up fans, Bandai and Toei have decided to create a grand and magical exhibit for the franchise. Titled All Precure Exhibition - 20th Anniversary Memories, the exhibit showcased all the different series and characters throughout the ages. 

The party doesn’t end there! Pretty Cure is planning a major concert in 2024 called All Pretty Cure 20th Anniversary LIVE!  A two-day live event set in the Yokohama Arena in Kanagawa, the Pretty Cure concert is planning to bring together 134 singers, voice actors, and character performers together.  The organizers of the concert plan to have all the participants sing, hold live drama readings with original scenarios, dance. It’s going to be a blast!

PRETTY CURE COSPLAY 

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that a lot of girls want to cosplay the cuties from PreCure. Not only are the characters in the shows cute and powerful, but they’re pretty fashionable too. There have been a lot of great Pretty Cure cosplays in anime conventions in Japan, the US, and all around the world. Anyone can become a Pretty Cure if they really want to!  

REPLENISH YOUR MAGIC AT THE PRECURE RESORT! 

Collaborating with Pretty Cure, Ike no Taira Hotel in Nagano Prefecture in Japan offers cute PreCure-themed rooms for fans to rest in. The hotel even has two different types of PreCure rooms for guests to choose from - Western-style and Japanese-style suites. From time to time Ike no Taira updates the design to fit the most recent Pretty Cure series that’s airing on television. The rooms have been doing pretty good with a 2017 report saying that they have been reserved more than 10,000 times since they opened in 2010. Wow! 

HANGING OUT AT PRETTY CURE CAFES! 

While there aren’t any permanent cafes for Pretty Cure, there have been a number of collaboration and pop-up cafes celebrating the healing, magical franchise. This includes the pop-up cafe in 2016 that celebrated the girls of Fresh Pretty Cure. It showcased a lot of yummy Pretty Cure-themed meals, desserts, and drinks! 

The year after that, KiraKira☆Pretty Cure A La Mode also got its own collab cafe in Ikkebokuro not once but twice! It has a popup cafe in March 2017 and then another in July. In 2018, there was another pop-up cafe for Pretty Cure called Pretty Cure Cafe - Cheerful Diner. It was a certainly delicious and fun era for Pretty Cure fangirls in Japan! 

PRETTY PRECURE COLLABS!

Everyone wants to be part of the magical world of Pretty Cure. The PreCure franchise has had a lot of fun collaborations and team-ups through the years. This includes a Sanrio team-up with Hello Kitty for the 15th PreCure anniversary in 2019, collab events with mobile apps like Puyo Puyo Quest, and occasional appearances with Super Sentai heroes like LupinRed Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger. 

WHERE TO BUY MAGICAL PRETTY CURE GOODIES?

It isn’t that difficult to add a touch of magic to your life when you’re a Pretty Cure fanatic. There are so many different Pretty Cure goodies to choose from! That includes Pretty Cure stationery, Pretty Cure stickers, Pretty Cure home items, Pretty Cure toys, and more. While most of them can be found in Japan, fans can also get their Pretty Cure fix online! You can find so many goodies in our Pretty Cure collection on Blippo! 

And there you have it, folks! The glittery, magical world of Pretty Cure might seem daunting at first, but with a little help, everyone can be part of Pretty Cure. Did you enjoy learning about PreCure? Which series do you want to start watching? Which character would you like to cosplay the most? If you're not sure, you can check out all the Pretty Cures in our Ultimate List of Pretty Cure Characters! Anyhow, don’t be shy! Let us know what you love the most about Pretty Curein the comment section below✨🎉