The Detective Conan anime dropped a special crossover episode last Saturday (June 6) with Detective Pretty Cure!, featuring a guest appearance from Anna Akechi, a.k.a. Cure Ansa. The episode, "The Perfect Answer," sent fans into a frenzy, especially with the shocking reveal that Kaito Kid was the one disguised as the magical girl.
To celebrate this dream team-up, the official YouTube channels for both series released a roundtable discussion with the producers, spilling the tea on the behind-the-scenes magic that made it happen.
Given that the two shows air on different networks and are produced by different animation studios, this collaboration was a massive, industry-line-crossing event—a true "detective alliance."
The interview featured key players from both sides:
Tsuyoshi Yoshida, Producer at Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation
Masataka Todo, Producer at TMS Entertainment
Soya Aramaki, Producer at Toei Animation
Kanako Tada, Producer at ABC Animation
Together, they dished on how this epic crossover came to be.
In the Conan crossover episode, Cure Ansa appears at the scene of a jewelry store heist to help catch the culprit, looking every bit like the real magical girl. But the episode ends with a stunning twist: the Cure Ansa who showed up was actually Kaito Kid in disguise. The reveal left many viewers completely floored.
Discussing this plot point, TMS producer Masataka Todo revealed, "We actually had discussions about having Anna appear just as Anna, without transforming." This means the team initially considered keeping the Pretty Cure transformation out of it entirely. And in the final cut, Anna does indeed appear as her civilian self before Cure Ansa shows up.
However, Yomiuri TV producer Tsuyoshi Yoshida admitted that the biggest hurdle was the established world of Conan. "Aside from Conan shrinking due to a drug, the world of Conan basically forbids any spiritual or supernatural phenomena," he explained.
This left the team wrestling with the question: "How on earth do we put a Pretty Cure into Conan's world?" Yoshida elaborated, "If we just had a character show up in cosplay, it would feel awkward. That part really had us racking our brains."
Ultimately, the production team landed on a brilliant solution: use Kaito Kid's mastery of disguise to have him impersonate Cure Ansa. This move perfectly aligned with Conan's realistic worldview while still allowing a Pretty Cure to make a grand entrance.
ABC Animation producer Kanako Tada was blown away by the idea. "Because it's Kaito Kid, it doesn't feel like mere cosplay at all," she said. She added with a laugh, "Plus, it preserves Ayumi's dream of Pretty Cure being real."
▼ Full discussion video
Japanese fans online had a field day with the reveal, with comments like, "Turns out Kaito Kid is the perfect person to be a Pretty Cure," and "We get a Pretty Cure, and it fits perfectly into Conan's world. The production team are absolute legends."
The crossover between Detective Conan and Detective Pretty Cure! not only gave fans a dream showdown between two great "detective" series but also showcased the creative team's cleverness in seamlessly integrating a magical girl—with all her transformations and powers—into Conan's grounded universe.
The producers stated that while the collaboration was challenging, it was also a joy, and they were thrilled that this cross-network, cross-franchise event was such a hit with audiences.