The next Pretty Cure anime series will break a barrier for the series’ 20th anniversary. Hirogaru Sky! Pretty Cure will debut the franchise’s first-ever male Cure character. Ever since Futari wa Pretty Cure debuted in 2004, all members of each series’ team of “Cure” magical girls have been female. That changes when the series debuts on February 5, 2023. [Thanks, Oricon News!]
The first male Cure is Cure Wing, who will be voiced by Ayumu Murase. He played Shouyou Hinata in Haikyuu!, Aki Hayakawa in Chainsaw Man, and Ryou Asuka in Devil Man Crybaby. Strictly speaking, there has been one male Cure before Cure Wing. In 2018’s HUG! Pretty Cure (or HUGtto! Pretty Cure), the character Henri Wakamiya transformed into Cure Infini to resolve a crisis. However, the transformation was limited and temporary. Cure Wing is a permanent part of Hirogaru Sky! Pretty Cure‘s cast, making him the first male Cure to be a member of the core team.
Hirogaru Sky! Pretty Cure is the 20th installment in the Pretty Cure franchise, and also celebrates the show’s 20th year running. The title can be translated roughly to “Expanding Sky! Pretty Cure”. It’s also a pun, as “hirogaru” can be read as the English “Hero Girl,”, a reference to the lead character, Sora Harewataru. Sora is an athletic teen from Sky Land, a floating kingdom. Ever since she was saved by a mysterious person, Sora has trained night and day to “become a hero”. She gets her chance when she becomes Cure Sky, a superpowered Pretty Cure destined to fight back against the sinister Underg Empire. Cure Sky is voiced by Akira Sekine, who played Charlotte in Princess Principal, Raku Ichijou in Nisekoi, and Ritsuka Fujimaru (Gudako) in Fate/Grand Carnival.
Check out a promo for the first episode, featuring a look at Cure Sky.
Alongside Cure Sky and Cure Wing two other Cures to round out the main team of Hirogaru Sky! Pretty Cure.
Cure Prism is Sora’s friend Mashiro Nijigaoka, a resident of Sorashido City on Earth. Cure Prism is voiced by Ai Kakuma, who plays Eris in Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, Sento Isuzu in Amagi Brilliant Park, and Rossweisse in High School DxD.
Cure Butterfly is also another first for Pretty Cure: Its first adult. At 18 years old, Cure Butterfly will be the oldest core member of a Precure team. The previous oldest Cure was Cure Moonlight, a 17-year-old high schooler from 2010’s Heartcatch Pretty Cure! Cure Butterfly is voiced by Ayaka Nanase, who voiced Yoshino from Sakura Quest, Mio from Encouragement of Climb, and Noe Archiviste from The Case Study of Vanitas.
Hirogaru Sky! Pretty Cure premieres in Japan on February 5, 2023. International release plans have not been announced.
