Detective PreCure Goes Viral: Antagonist Luluka's Character Design Steals the Show — Adult Fans Snatch Up Merch, Leaving Japanese Girls Empty-Handed
Sunday morning is a fixed ritual for tokusatsu fans.
After Toei pushed "Kamen Rider" and "Super Sentai" to global streaming platforms, viewers can finally watch new episodes on the same day as Japanese audiences, while collectively criticizing what the writers are up to this time. "Super Hero Time" started in 1997, making Sunday mornings the exclusive territory for tokusatsu shows. The three long-running series currently airing are all scheduled in this time slot.
Some might ask: Aren't there only two shows in the morning slot, Kamen Rider and Super Sentai?That's right, strictly speaking there are only two tokusatsu slots, but there's a third series squeezed into the same time period: transformation devices, transformation effects, colorful warriors, roll call catchphrases, and physical combat—nothing is missing. From the description, it sounds like a hardcore show for boys, but the actual audience consists of little girls from kindergarten to early elementary school.
It is the one that countless adult male fans both love and "fear"—"Pretty Cure"
You might not be interested in this 20-year-old IP, but you definitely can’t ignore the recent “blonde, intellectual lolita mom” fan art that’s taking the entire internet by storm.
Friendly Reminder: If you don't watch 'Detective Pretty Cure' premiering on February 1st, the next time everyone in the group chat discusses the latest mom characters, you'll only be able to spam black PreCure emojis in the corner, desperately trying to feel included.
The culprit is none other than the villain who hasn't officially appeared yet, but whose identity as an additional warrior has been frantically hinted at by officials in posters, OP, and ED—Moria Luluka (nickname Luluka)
The first episode just aired, and the characters don't even have complete screen time yet, but fans have already used sparse materials to unleash their imagination, producing a large amount of motherly fan works with astonishing efficiency. People outside the community often say that today's otaku are becoming more conservative, not even daring to call characters their "wives" anymore. The facts prove that they're just restrained on the surface, while their hearts remain passionate. These fan arts have a strong guiding effect, attracting a large wave of newcomers into the fandom, instantly making the Koume community lively.
Bandai is laughing their heads off, the kids are crying
Bandai is raking in the cash, but young female fans can only watch helplessly: official merchandise sells out within seconds as soon as it hits the shelves, snatched up by adult fans. Now, Japanese kids have no choice but to turn to scalpers and pay hefty markups for the items they want.
It’s pretty much the same in China—jokes about Chinese people going to Japan to grab deer crackers, stock up on rice, and even throw away trash are all old tropes; now we have to add “grabbing PreCure toys” to the list.
News about the official Japanese online store selling Luluka merchandise that sold out in just 10 minutes has topped the trending topics on social media platforms. When adults turn bad, there really are no borders.
No wonder PreCure’s offline events explicitly prohibit adult men from attending, with a special note: “Please do not strike up conversations with children.” Put yourself in their shoes—if I’d seen a bunch of middle-aged men staring at toys with glowing eyes when I was a kid, I’d have run away too.
Of course, if a little girl is willing to recognize you as “family,” you can enter smoothly—and while you’re at it, head over to the nearby police station for a hearty pork cutlet rice meal with excellent service.
“She’s not a young girl, she’s Moriarty”
Similar situations have occurred before: Some fans are unwilling to face their own XP and always insist that “the character isn’t actually a young girl.” This time, Luluka has triggered the same set of rhetoric again.
Her surname "Moria" (pronounced as Moria) is clearly a tribute to Professor Moriarty, Sherlock Holmes' greatest nemesis. With her villain positioning and role as an opposing detective protagonist, netizens have joked: nowadays, otakus' tastes have become so specific that they're at the "14-year-old blonde, black-clothed gender-bent Moriarty" level.
Regardless of whether it’s right or wrong, the market has already voted with its wallet—pirated mini cards and keychains have launched in no time, and cosplay costumes are shipped within just a few days.
A character design can make a work popular
An outstanding character design has enabled the PreCure series to break out completely online recently, even gaining popularity beyond the otaku community—a truly rare feat.
The character designer for this work is Akane Yano, known as the "beautiful girl expert". She originally dreamed of becoming a voice actress, but eventually switched to becoming an animator, specializing in cute-style beautiful girl character designs. Her representative works include "And You Thought There Is Never a Girl Online?", "The Ryuo's Work is Never Done!", "Prima Doll", "The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You", etc., all consistently sweet and charming.
Rumor has it that when the daughter took over the design of PreCure Dolls, Mama Yano even made a special trip to the store to buy merchandise. Although she didn’t manage to snag any Luluka-related items, with the character now so popular, Aki Yano is probably sneaking smirks in her dreams.
Overall, "Precure" has achieved viral spread this time through a single character design, with a level of buzz rarely seen in years—quite reasonable, as the series has never been content to remain strictly a traditional children's show:
The fated entanglement between the protagonist and the villain
serious depictions involving childbirth
Relational dynamics across various gender combinations
“Men Can Be Pretty Cure Too” Official Declaration
Yuichi Nakamura's Unexpected Permanent Position
These elements are emerging one after another, breaking through the framework of children's animation long ago. The financial report also confirms the popularity: In Bandai's Q2 of fiscal year 2025, PreCure sales increased by 33% year-on-year, successfully surpassing the Super Sentai series.
Still hesitating to join in?
Strongly recommend just starting to watch. This is a vibrant and rare anime that has been running for over 20 years. Just one reminder: there are also many real little girl viewers in the community, so please moderate your maternal content when discussing, don't scare the children away.
Finally, let me quietly say this: Characters that have caught the attention of Asanagi, their value... those who know, know.