Lead: Toei Animation has announced Dual Shadow ~Precure Villain Heroines~, a Precure spinoff anime for TV with an all-original story and characters, set to air in 2027.
What happened
The official Precure account on X revealed the Precure spinoff anime on Tuesday, October 27, Japan time, alongside a roughly 20-second teaser on the franchise’s YouTube channel. Toei Animation opened an official page for the project on its own site, which lists the broadcast simply as “2027.” The copyright line credits a production committee named after the show.
The teaser starts on a bright field of flowers, then cuts to a single flower under a spotlight while a pair of eyes watches from the dark. Its on-screen tagline translates roughly to “Well, we’re not Precure, after all.” The key visual follows the same mood: a glowing lily-of-the-valley framed by two large, shadowed eyes, with a gothic logo in the corner.
That is everything confirmed so far. Staff, cast, animation studio, broadcaster and a premiere month have not been announced, and Toei has only told fans to expect more news later.
Why the Precure spinoff anime matters
Precure spinoffs usually look backward. The Power of Hope: Precure Full Bloom (October 2023) brought the Yes! Precure 5 girls back as adults, and Mahō Tsukai Precure!! MIRAI DAYS (January 2025) continued Witchy Pretty Cure! Both leaned on nostalgia for a specific season. Dual Shadow breaks that pattern with new characters and a new story, which is a bigger creative swing for a franchise that has run on a strict one-season-a-year rhythm since Futari wa Pretty Cure in 2004.
The villain angle also has roots in the franchise. Since Eas from Fresh Precure! (2009) switched sides and became Cure Passion, reformed antagonists have become a recurring Precure beat. A show built around the girls on the other side of the fight, at least going by the subtitle and tagline, turns that side story into the main event.
For international fans, the timing is useful. The current main series, Star Detective Precure!, is the 23rd TV entry and has streamed on Crunchyroll across much of the world since its February 1 debut. That gives Toei an existing overseas audience to sell an edgier spinoff to, even if no streaming deal for Dual Shadow has been announced yet.
Our read: the dark teaser and “we’re not Precure” tagline suggest Toei is aiming at older fans who grew up on the brand, the same crowd Full Bloom targeted, rather than the preschool audience of the Sunday-morning shows. That is an educated guess from the marketing, not something Toei has said.
What we know vs what is rumored
- Confirmed: the title Dual Shadow ~Precure Villain Heroines~, a TV broadcast in 2027, an original story and original characters, an official teaser and key visual from Toei Animation.
- Confirmed: the current main series, Star Detective Precure!, continues to air and stream on Crunchyroll.
- Unconfirmed: the premiere season, TV network, director, studio credits, cast, target audience and any overseas streaming partner.
- Unconfirmed: whether any villains from past Precure seasons appear. Japanese fan coverage has noted the flower motif, but nothing links the show to an earlier series officially.
What happens next
Expect staff and cast reveals first. Japanese TV anime are often announced six months or more before they air, so a 2027 slot later than spring would not be surprising, though Toei has not narrowed the window. Watch the official Toei page and the Precure X account for the next visual, and check whether Crunchyroll, which already carries Star Detective Precure!, picks the spinoff up for overseas viewers.
Sources: Anime News Network — Precure Franchise Gets Spinoff TV Anime Dual Shadow ~Precure Villain Heroines~; Anime.com — Precure Spin-Off Dual Shadow Airs in 2027; Toei Animation — Dual Shadow ~Precure Villain Heroines~ official page