Pretty Cure

The Pretty Cure series (プリキュアシリーズ, Purikyua Shirīzu, also titled PreCure) is a Japanese magical girl anime franchise created by Izumi Todo and produced by ABC Television, ABC Animation, ADK Emotions and Toei Animation.^[1] Each series revolves around a group of magical girls known as Pretty Cures who battle against evil forces. Starting in February 2004 with Futari wa Pretty Cure, the franchise has seen many anime series, spanning nearly 1000 episodes to date, as well as spawning movies, manga, toys, and video games. Its most recent iteration, You and Idol Pretty Cure, began airing in February 2025 as part of TV Asahi's Sunday morning children's television block. As of December 2022, three series have received English adaptations.

Not to be confused with Pretty Cure (2004 TV series).

Pretty Cure
The twentieth anniversary logo for the Pretty Cure franchise
Created by	Izumi Todo Toei Animation
Original work	Futari wa Pretty Cure
Films and television
Film(s)	Pretty Cure All Stars, Pretty Cure films
Television series	See below
Theatrical presentations
Play(s)	Precure Kids
Musical(s)	See below
Games
Video game(s)	See below
Miscellaneous
Toy(s)	S.H. Figuarts, dolls, bracelets

Overview

Each series focuses on a group of teenage girls who are granted special items that allow them to transform into legendary warriors known as the Pretty Cure. With the assistance of creatures known as fairies, the Pretty Cure use their magical powers and enhanced strength to fight against evil forces who create monsters to bring misery to the Earth. As the series progresses and stronger enemies appear, the Cures gain new magical items, new abilities, and sometimes new allies to help them in their fight against evil.

Main series

There are currently twenty-two anime television series in the franchise, two of which are direct sequels to their previous series. To date, three of the series have received English adaptations. Futari wa Pretty Cure was dubbed into English by Ocean Productions and aired in Canada under the name Pretty Cure. Smile PreCure! and DokiDoki! PreCure were adapted by Saban Brands and released on Netflix under the names Glitter Force and Glitter Force Doki Doki, respectively. The series, Kirakira Pretty Cure a la Mode, Healin' Good Pretty Cure and Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure, began streaming in Crunchyroll on their respective territories. Each series has received a manga adaptation illustrated by Futago Kamikita, which is published in Kodansha's Nakayoshi shoujo magazine alongside the anime. Starting with Fresh Pretty Cure!, each ending movie featured a dance choreography by each series' Pretty Cure members.

As of 2020, Toei Animation Inc. owns the international rights to the franchise while both the dubs of Smile and DokiDoki alongside the Glitter Force brand is currently owned by Hasbro.^[2][3][4][5]

No.		Title	Generation	Run	Episodes	Series director	Ref(s)
	1	Pretty Cure	1st	2004–2005	49	Daisuke Nishio
	2	Pretty Cure Max Heart		2005–2006	47
	3	PreCure Splash Star	2nd	2006–2007	49	Toshiaki Komura
	4	Yes! PreCure 5	3rd	2007–2008	49
	5	Yes! PreCure 5 GoGo!		2008–2009	48
	6	Fresh PreCure!	4th	2009–2010	50	Junji Shimizu, Akifumi Zako
	7	HeartCatch PreCure!	5th	2010–2011	49	Tatsuya Nagamine
	8	Suite PreCure	6th	2011–2012	48	Munehisa Sakai
	9	Smile PreCure!	7th	2012–2013	48	Takashi Otsuka
	10	DokiDoki! PreCure	8th	2013–2014	49	Go Koga	[6][7]
	11	HappinessCharge PreCure!	9th	2014–2015	49	Tatsuya Nagamine
	12	Go! Princess PreCure	10th	2015–2016	50	Yuta Tanaka	[8][9]
	13	Witchy PreCure!	11th	2016–2017	50	Masato Mitsuka	[10][11]
	14	Kirakira PreCure a la Mode	12th	2017–2018	49	Kohei Kureta, Yukio Kaizawa	[12]
	15	Hug! PreCure	13th	2018–2019	49	Junichi Sato, Akifumi Zako	[13][14]
	16	Star Twinkle PreCure	14th	2019–2020	49	Hiroaki Miyamoto	[15]
	17	Healin' Good PreCure	15th	2020–2021	45	Yoko Ikeda	[16]
	18	Tropical-Rouge! PreCure	16th	2021–2022	46	Yutaka Tsuchida
	19	Delicious Party PreCure	17th	2022–2023	45	Toshinori Fukasawa
	20	Soaring Sky! PreCure	18th	2023–2024	50	Koji Ogawa	[17]
	21	Wonderful PreCure!	19th	2024–2025	50	Masanori Sato	[18]
	22	You and Idol PreCure	20th	2025	TBA	Chiaki Kon	[19]
	Total	22	20	2004–present	1,018	20

Films

Main article: List of Pretty Cure films

Beginning with Pretty Cure Max Heart, each television series has received a theatrical animated film based on the series, with Max Heart receiving two films. Starting in March 2009, crossover films featuring characters from multiple series have been released annually, with 12 crossover films released to date. The eleventh crossover film, Hugtto! PreCure Futari wa Pretty Cure: All Stars Memories, has been awarded the Guinness World Records title for "Most Magical Warriors in an Anime Film", with a total number of 55 Cures with speaking roles.^[20]

Adaptations

Video games

Several video games have been produced by Bandai Namco Entertainment (formerly Bandai) for video game systems and educational consoles, as well as Data Carddass arcade machines.

Console video games

• Futari wa Pretty Cure: Arienai! Yume no En wa Daimeikyu (ふたりはプリキュア ありえな～い！夢の園は大迷宮, Pretty Cure: Unbelievable! The Dream Park is a Labryinth) (2004, Game Boy Advance)
• Futari wa Pretty Cure Max Heart: Maji? Maji!? Fight de IN Janai (ふたりはプリキュアマックスハート マジ?マジ?!ファイト de INじゃない, Pretty Cure Max Heart! : Really? Really!? A Fight is Okay, Isn't It?) (2005, Game Boy Advance)
• Futari wa Pretty Cure Max Heart: Danzen! DS de Precure - Chikara wo Awasete Dai Battle (ふたりはプリキュアマックスハート　DANZEN!DSでプリキュア力をあわせて大バトル！!, Pretty Cure Max Heart: - Absolutely! Pretty Cure on DS - The Great Battle Where Power Gathers) (2005, Nintendo DS)
• Futari wa Pretty Cure Splash Star: Panpaka Game de Zekkōchō! (ふたりはプリキュア Splash Star パンパカゲームでぜっこうちょう!, Pretty Cure Splash Star - In Top Condition for the PanPaka Game!) (2006, Nintendo DS)
• Yes! PreCure 5 (Yes！プリキュア5) (2007, Nintendo DS)
• Yes! PreCure 5 GoGo!: Zenin Shu Go! Dream Festival (Yes！プリキュア5GoGo！ 全員しゅーGo!ドリームフェスティバル, Yes! PreCure 5 GoGo!: All Assembled! Dream Festival) (2008, Nintendo DS)
• Fresh Pretty Cure: Asobi Collection (フレッシュプリキュア!あそびコレクション, Fresh Pretty Cure: Play Collection) (2009, Nintendo DS)
• HeartCatch PreCure! Oshare Collection (ハートキャッチプリキュア!おしゃれコレクション, HeartCatch PreCure! Fashion Collection) (2010, Nintendo DS)
• Koe de Asobō! HeartCatch PreCure! (こえであそぼう!ハートキャッチプリキュア!, Let's Play With Voices! HeartCatch PreCure!) (2010, Nintendo DS)
• Suite PreCure: Melody Collection (スイートプリキュア♪ メロディコレクション) (2011, Nintendo DS)
• Smile PreCure! Let's Go! Märchen World (スマイルプリキュア!　レッツゴー！メルヘンワールド) (2012, Nintendo 3DS)
• PreCure All Stars: Zenin Shūgō Let's Dance! (プリキュアオールスターズ ぜんいんしゅうごう☆レッツダンス！, PreCure All Stars: All Together☆Let's Dance!) (2013, Wii)
• DokiDoki! PreCure: Narikiri Life! (ドキドキ!プリキュア なりきりライフ!, DokiDoki! Precure: Impersonator Life!) (2013, Nintendo 3DS)
• HappinessCharge PreCure! Kawarun Collection (ハピネスチャージプリキュア! カワルン☆コレクション, HappinessCharge PreCure! Sparking Collection) (2014, Nintendo 3DS)
• Go! Princess PreCure: Sugar Ōkoku to Rokunin no Princess (Go!プリンセスプリキュア シュガー王国と6人のプリンセス, Go! Princess PreCure: The Sugar Kingdom and the 6 Princesses) (2015, Nintendo 3DS)
• PreCure Tsunagaru Puzzlun (プリキュアつながるぱずるん, PreCure Connecting Puzzlun) (2017-2020, iOS, Android)
• Nari Kids Park: Hugtto! PreCure (なりキッズパーク　HUGっと！プリキュア) (2018, Nintendo Switch)

Arcade game

• PreCure All Stars Data Carddass series (プリキュアデータカードダスシリーズ) (2007–2017)

Educational titles

• Futari wa Pretty Cure (ふたりはプリキュア) (2004, Sega Pico)
• Futari wa Pretty Cure: Max Heart (ふたりはプリキュアMax Heart) (2005, Beena)
• Futari wa Pretty Cure Splash Star (ふたりはプリキュアスプラッシュスター) (2006, Beena)
• Yes! Pretty Cure 5 Go Go: Love Love Hiragana Lesson (Yes！プリキュア5GoGo！lovelove☆ひらがなレッスン) (2008, Beena)
• Isshoni Henshin Fresh Pretty Cure (いっしょにへんしんフレッシュプリキュア！) (2009, Beena)
• Oshare ni Henshin HeartCatch PreCure! (おしゃれにへんしん ハートキャッチプリキュア！) (2010, Beena)
• Suite PreCure: Happy Oshare Harmony (スイートプリキュア♪ハッピーおしゃれハーモニー☆) (2011, Beena)

Live-action drama

Main article: Koe Girl!

A live-action series, Koe Girl! (声ガール！, Koe Gāru!), aired in Japan between April and June 2018, celebrating the franchise's 15th anniversary. The series follows a group of aspiring voice actresses and stars Haruka Fukuhara, who voiced Himari Arisugawa/Cure Custard in Kirakira PreCure a la Mode.^[21]

Reception

The combination of transmedia text products, including anime series, films, live performances, theme stores, and toys, has been analyzed as a "system of consumption, knowledge and action [that] creates a lifestyle-text, a set of fictional media works that are synonymous with the lifestyle practices they promote."^[22]

The Pretty Cure films are the seventh highest-grossing anime film franchise.^[23] Bandai Namco's net income from Pretty Cure video game sales was ¥3.6 billion ($45.12 million) from April 2008 to March 2012, ¥1 billion ($13 million) from April 2012 to March 2013, ¥700 million ($7.17 million) from April 2013 to March 2014,^[24] and ¥800 million ($7.8 million) from April 2014 to December 2020,^[24][25] adding up to ¥6.1 billion ($73.1 million) net sales revenue for Bandai Namco.

Merchandise

Pretty Cure has had numerous licensed merchandise sold in Japan. By 2010, it became Japan's fifth highest-grossing franchise annually.^[26]

Pretty Cure licensed merchandise sales in Japan

Year	Japan licensed merchandise sales	Note	Ref
2004	26.76 billion|link=yes}} --> style="background: var(--background-color-interactive, #EEE); color: var(--color-base, black); vertical-align: middle; white-space: nowrap; text-align: center; " class="table-Un­known" | Un­known
2005	¥56.7 billion		[27]
2006	¥6 billion	Bandai toys only	[24]
2007	¥44.48 billion		[28]
2008	¥49.92 billion		[29]
2009	¥62.45 billion		[30]
2010	¥76.65 billion		[26]
2011	¥10.3 billion	Bandai Namco toys only	[24]
2012	¥63.51 billion		[31]
2013	¥61.7 billion		[32]
2005–2013	¥431.86 billion+ ($5.271 billion+)
2014	¥45.46 billion		[33]
2015	¥45.64 billion		[34]
2016	¥49.76 billion		[35]
2017	¥48.05 billion		[36]
2018	¥50.59 billion		[37][38]
2019	¥42.47 billion		[39][38]
2020	¥6.9 billion	Bandai Namco toys only	[24]
2014–2020	¥288.87 billion+ ($2.802 billion+)		[40]
2005–2020	¥720.73 billion+ ($8.074 billion+)