The Correct Order In Which To Watch The Pretty Cure Franchise

If you haven't heard of it before, "Pretty Cure" (also known as "Precure") is one of the most popular and long-running Magical Girl anime around. According to MyAnimeList, since it first aired in 2004, the "Pretty Cure" franchise has spawned dozens of shows, movies, and related material for fans who enjoy its unique blend of cutesy content and thrilling action. If you love things like "Sailor Moon" or "Madoka Magica," then "Precure" is probably right up your alley.

Even so, from the outside it can seem like a daunting franchise to get into. Even though "Sailor Moon" is decades older, "Precure" practically dwarfs it in terms of how much content there is. To be specific, "Pretty Cure" encapsulates 18 TV shows, 32 movies, 1 ONA, 1 OVA, and 1 special (via Epicdope). That's certainly nothing to sneeze at, but you shouldn't let those numbers fool you. Enjoying "Pretty Cure" is actually much simpler in practice than it might seem, such that the "correct order" is pretty much whatever the viewer feels like going in.

The amazing thing about the Guinness World Record-holding "Pretty Cure" franchise is that, with a few exceptions, almost every series is its own separate story. As fans on Reddit are quick to inform newcomers, you don't necessarily need to watch the other series to enjoy a specific one. The only exceptions to this rule are "Yes! Precure 5 Gogo," which is a sequel series to "Yes! Precure 5," and "Futari wa Precure Max Heart" which is a sequel series to the original "Futari wa Precure" series. Apart from those shows, however, the "Precure" series can be enjoyed in pretty much any order the viewer chooses. The only hard part is figuring out which one appeals to you the most and diving in.

That being said, the "Precure" franchise isn't without its caveats. While the series themselves might be relatively disconnected, the movies aren't so simple. Different movies are connected to different series, and often take place between certain episodes. So, if you're really serious about enjoying everything your preferred "Precure" series has to offer, it's best to learn what films belong in that particular series and watch them where they make the most chronological sense.