Toei Animation has announced a brand-new television anime spinoff for the long-running Precure franchise, titled Dual Shadow ~Precure Villain Heroines~, set to premiere in 2027. Unlike most previous spinoffs, the new series will tell an original story with original characters, putting the franchise’s villains front and centre.
Precure (Credits: Toei Animation)
Dual Shadow Precure Villain Heroines Turns Villains Into Heroes
The concept plays directly into one of Precure’s most beloved traditions. Ever since Higashi Setsuna, better known as Eas, turned from villain to hero as Cure Passion in 2009’s Fresh Precure!, the franchise has repeatedly redeemed its antagonists and given them a second chance in the spotlight.
Dual Shadow takes that idea further than ever before. Rather than borrowing the cast of an existing season, it builds a fresh story around villain heroines, suggesting a series where the characters fans usually root against finally get to carry the show themselves. For a franchise that has run for more than two decades, that is a bold creative swing, and one that could draw in both longtime viewers and curious newcomers.
Where Dual Shadow Fits in the Precure Franchise
The announcement arrives while the franchise is in rude health. The 23rd main television series, Star Detective Precure!, debuted on February 1 and is still airing, with Crunchyroll streaming it across North America, South America, Europe, Australia, Africa, the Middle East and beyond.
Its companion film, Star Detective Precure! The Movie: The Mysterious Garden and the Secret of 2 People, opened in Japan on September 18 and landed at number three in its opening weekend, selling 358,000 tickets for 446 million yen (about US$2.82 million) in its first three days.
Toei has also kept the anniversary flame burning in recent years. The Power of Hope: Precure Full Bloom arrived in October 2023 as a sequel to Yes! Precure 5 with its cast grown up, while Maho Tsukai Precure!!: MIRAI DAYS followed in January 2025 as a sequel to Witchy Pretty Cure!. Dual Shadow now joins that lineage as the next experiment, and its 2027 debut gives fans plenty of time to speculate about which kind of villain heroines will lead it.
Also Read: Star Detective Precure! Film Becomes Highest-Grossing Standalone Film in Precure Franchise History and Star Detective Precure! Crosses Over With Magical DoReMi in Halloween Episode on October 25
Source: Anime News Network — read the full story there.
