Star Detective Precure! has finally reached the moment fans have been waiting for. Episode 25, which aired on July 19, reveals the true identity of the mysterious blue Pretty Cure, Cure Éclair, bringing an end to the season’s biggest mystery after weeks of speculation.
Toei Animation has spent the past month building anticipation through a series of character-focused episodes, encouraging viewers to guess who was hiding behind the masked heroine. With Episode 25 now airing, the long-running mystery surrounding Cure Éclair has finally been resolved.
Toei Animation Turned Cure Éclair’s Identity Into a Fan Event
Instead of introducing a new Pretty Cure through a standard mid-season debut, Star Detective Precure! took a different approach by making Cure Éclair’s identity the center of a month-long mystery. Although the mysterious blue Cure appeared in the anime’s key visual from the start, Toei Animation kept her civilian identity and voice actress completely secret. The marketing campaign encouraged fans to solve the mystery themselves rather than waiting for the reveal.
Beginning on June 21, the anime aired four consecutive character-focused episodes, each highlighting one possible candidate. The suspects included Eriza Kurusu (Riko Akechi), Shiruku Ieiri (Natsumi Murakami), Kurea Howa (Ikumi Hasegawa), and Rei Kaneda (Lynn), giving each character enough screen time to make fans question whether she was the real Cure Éclair.
Fans Could Vote for Their Choice Throughout the Campaign
Alongside the weekly episodes, Toei Animation launched an official “Who Is Cure Éclair?” voting campaign. Fans were allowed to cast one vote per day between June 21 and July 19 through the campaign website or at designated voting locations across Japan.
Physical ballot boxes were placed at several Precure Pretty Store locations in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya, as well as the Toei Animation Museum. Visitors who voted in person also received a commemorative Voting Completion Certificate, making the event more memorable for longtime Pretty Cure fans.
The campaign transformed what is normally a routine character introduction into an interactive experience. By allowing viewers to participate in the mystery before the official reveal, Toei Animation created one of the franchise’s most ambitious promotional events in its more than two decades of history.
