Kara Dennison
June 3, 2021 
As we learned in Pretty Cure All Stars New Stage, anyone can be a Cure. The magical girl franchise is more than 15 years strong and features heroines from all walks of life. And we don’t just mean humans — in fact, Tropical-Rouge Pretty Cure has just announced Cure LaMer, the franchise’s first ever mer-Cure!
But the series mahou shoujo pool has stretched beyond humanity for years now… nearly since its beginning. Seasons like Star Twinkle feature alien heroines, for example. But today, we’re looking back at three non-human Cures who set the stage for Laura’s glow-up from sidekick to teammate.
Shiny Luminous Was a Fractured Soul
In its earliest days, Pretty Cure was a two-hander. Cure Black (the sporty Nagisa) and Cure White (the smart Honoka) fought evil and learned about friendship and teamwork. The introduction of Hikari Kujou as a third Cure in its sequel season was surprising… a funny thing to look back on now that we’re hovering somewhere in the 50s. But Hikari, a.k.a. Shiny Luminous, wasn’t your average girl: she was part of the soul of a giant queen from another dimension.
Simply called “Queen,” this looming ruler from the Garden of Light is the one who first sought out Pretty Cure. In the wake of the second season’s conflict, she divided herself into three parts. The other two, a miniature throne and puzzle pieces that went into it, could be bought at all fine toy retailers.
Milky Rose Was a Mascot Upgrade
One recurring element of the Pretty Cure franchise is their mascots. Generally marshmallow-y animals with verbal tics, these mascots can often change into transformation items… and sometimes change into humans. The two Yes! Pretty Cure 5 seasons had two mascots named Coco and Nuts who changed into cute boys (contend with that). A third and fourth, Milk and Syrup, joined later. And Milk also had some tricks up her sleeve.
Eventually she became Milky Rose, the group’s sixth Cure. She’s no slouch, either. Her Blizzard attack rains massive blue rose petals down on her enemies. And when she upgrades to Metal Blizzard… well, you get the idea.
Milky Rose wasn’t the only mascot Cure. Turn to the end of Smile Pretty Cure to see the sheeplike Candy turn into the Shiny Luminous-esque Royale Candy.
Cure Beat Was an Evil Cat
Suite Pretty Cure saved the world through the power of music… which meant there were some evil tunes flowing, too. The black cat Siren was a rival to Suite’s white cat mascot Hummy, but she eventually did a face-turn and joined the team. The result? Cure Beat, an electric guitar-slinging magical girl with purple hair.
While Siren — later Ellen Kurokawa — is a non-human addition to the team, she also joins many baddies who eventually turned to the side of good. It’s even become something of a tradition, every couple of years, for at least one member of the team to defect from the dark side.
Are you looking forward to the arrival of Cure LaMer?
