Detective Conan × Pretty Cure Crossover
Illustration: WhyTrend

On the morning of May 24, 2026, official social media accounts for both franchises simultaneously announced a crossover that anime fans had dreamed about since Pretty Cure's new season was titled 'Detective Pretty Cure.' The announcement flooded Japanese social media within minutes. The crossover works in both directions.

On May 31, the Pretty Cure episode 'The Great Detective Assembly' will feature Conan, the boy detective from the long-running Case Closed series, visiting the Pretty Cure characters' city to tackle a theft case involving a glass slipper called 'The Forgotten Item at Midnight.' Then on June 6, the Conan episode will bring Cure Answer — Pretty Cure's main heroine — into Conan's world of Beika Town, where a string of jewel robberies has broken out.

What makes this remarkable is the institutional complexity that had to be overcome. The two shows air on rival broadcast networks (TV Asahi group vs. Nippon TV group), are produced by competing animation studios (Toei Animation vs.

TMS Entertainment), and are based on manga published by different companies. A crossover of this kind — where characters from one show physically appear in the other's canonical episodes — has no precedent in Japanese TV anime. According to reports, the Pretty Cure producer approached the Conan team directly about a year ago and spent that time navigating the three-way barrier of network, studio, and publisher approvals.

The timing adds another layer of significance. Detective Conan, which began airing in 1996, is marking its 30th TV anime anniversary in 2026. Pretty Cure's current season is the franchise's 23rd series and its first to carry a detective theme — making the collaboration feel like a natural, if long-awaited, meeting.

What to watch next: The Pretty Cure crossover episode airs May 31 on the TV Asahi network, and the Conan crossover episode follows on June 6 on the Nippon TV network. Collaboration merchandise has also been announced. International fans can follow both official anime accounts for clip releases and visual updates.