Recaps

Ash overwhelmed Haruka, Minami, and Kirara in battle while declaring his intent to make the world part of the Black Night Kingdom. As he continued to study and restrain Haruka, Lady Dyspear ordered Kurozu to recruit him, recognizing him as a being like herself.

• Ash caught Minami and Kirara's punches, then struck the ground with Demon Emperor Power and blasted the three Cures into the air.
• Kirby rescued the fairies from the upheaval, while Kurozu and the Demon Crab noticed a bespectacled girl watching from behind a tree.
• The injured Haruka, Minami, and Kirara attacked Ash again, but he evaded and countered them while explaining that he planned to conquer the world.
• Haruka kept fighting and briefly found an opening, but Ash caught her punch and mocked her thick eyebrows as he restrained her.
• Lady Dyspear contacted Kurozu and ordered him to bring Ash into her camp, then Ash caught Haruka's kick and held her completely captive.

Ash controlled Haruka’s movements to defeat Minami and Kirara, then explained that he intended to conquer the world. After Kurozu ambushed Haruka, Ash stopped him and heard Dyspear propose an alliance, which he began rejecting.

• Ash forced Haruka to fight Minami and Kirara in a deadly dance, leaving both of her friends defeated.
• Haruka broke free and vowed to keep fighting to protect everyone’s dreams.
• Kurozu attacked the weakened Haruka from behind, but Ash seized him and demanded an explanation for interfering.
• Dyspear appeared through the Fortress of Despair and offered Ash Earth and Hope Kingdom in exchange for joining forces against the Pretty Cure.
• Ash rejected Dyspear’s charitable offer and declared that he did not consider himself evil.

Ash defeated Haruka by forcing her through thirty-six repeated battles, then discovered that Earth’s life-giving land and the light in Haruka’s eyes could help his citizens thrive. He left Haruka and the other Princess Pretty Cure defeated, but urgently demanded to know what sustained her resolve.

• Ash swiftly beat Kurozu, crushed Fortress of Despair, and dismissed Dyspear’s threat to declare war.
• Ash restored Haruka with Demon Emperor Power and urged her to keep fighting so he could witness her determination.
• Ash repeatedly healed and defeated Haruka until she had endured thirty-six battles and lost the will to resist.
• Ash stopped Haruka from approaching, tore up a small flower, and delighted in discovering that Earth’s soil could nurture life.
• Ash concluded that he wanted to claim Earth for his citizens and pulled Haruka up, demanding to know what made her eyes shine with resolve.

Ash stopped forcing Haruka to fight after Yui and the others defended her dreams, and the girls renewed their resolve against him. After hearing a proposal from his sprite, Ash abandoned his plan to conquer Earth by force and asked the Princess Pretty Cure to become his wives and the Black Night Kingdom’s Queens.

• Ash began forcing Haruka to transform again, but Yui stepped between them and pleaded with him to stop hurting her.
• Yui told Ash that she dreamed of becoming a picture-book illustrator and would not let his conquest destroy her friends’ dreams.
• Minami and Kirara explained that Haruka kept fighting because the girls would not surrender their dreams to Ash’s rule.
• Haruka regained her courage as her friends joined her, and the girls declared that they would fight Ash and Dysdark to protect their dreams and the world.
• A sprite advised Ash that he could obtain Earth without force and suggested that the Princesses would suit his position as King.
• Ash ended his transformation and asked the girls to put down their keys and become his wives and the Queens of the Black Night Kingdom.

Ash proposed making the Pretty Cure his Queens so Earth would join the Black Night Kingdom, then settled for naming them Queen-in-waiting until they fulfilled their dreams. He abducted Nanase Yui as punishment for interrupting his business, leaving Haruno Haruka and the others defeated and desperate to get her back.

• Ash explained that making the Pretty Cure his Queens would bring Earth into the Black Night Kingdom and end their need to fight.
• Haruno Haruka, Kirara, and Minami rejected his proposal because they wanted to pursue their own dreams.
• Ash called the girls Queen-in-waiting and threatened to take them to his castle if they objected.
• Ash seized Nanase Yui and disappeared through a portal, saying his people would teach her proper etiquette.
• Haruno Haruka and the other Pretty Cure mourned Yui's abduction in their secret base.

Nanase Yui returned to her friends after being captured, explaining that Ash had sent her back after sentencing her to a month of cleaning in his castle. She began work as an apprentice maid in the Black Night Kingdom, while wondering whether Ash and his fairies were different from what she had assumed.

• Nanase Yui returned to Haruka, Minami, and Kirara with Puff and Aroma, and said Ash had sent her back.
• Yui recounted how Ash punished her for disrespecting him by ordering her to clean his room for one month.
• Ash led Yui through the castle, where she saw the fairies playing happily and learned Puff and Aroma were enjoying themselves there.
• Yui met Little Blue in the laundry room and was assigned to work under her as an apprentice maid.
• Ash reminded Yui that she had accepted the kingdom's punishment, leaving her to realize she would be staying in the Black Night Kingdom for a month.

Ash made Nanase Yui a trainee maid of the Black Night Kingdom, helped her pursue her picture-book dream, and cured her nearsightedness. After Yui returned to Noble Academy and reassured her friends that she would honor her promise, Ash celebrated his citizens’ trust and considered Haruno Haruka’s refusal to become his Queen.

• Ash appointed Nanase Yui a trainee maid and arranged for the Black Night Kingdom’s court painter to teach her drawing.
• Ash used magic to cure Yui’s nearsightedness, and later flew her and the fairies back to Noble Academy at her request.
• Yui told Kirara, Minami, and Haruka about her time in the Black Night Kingdom, then said she would return because she had made a promise.
• Ash received his citizens’ cheers after his victory over Dyspear and Pretty Cure and reflected on their trust in him.
• Ash remembered that Haruno Haruka had refused his order to become his Queen because she wanted to become a Princess.

Ash considered whether the Black Night Kingdom should conquer Earth, but his fairies persuaded him to let Pretty Cure shine while he pursued their hearts as himself. Meanwhile, Haruka, Kirara, and Minami received Ash’s bizarre gifts, leaving them more determined to oppose him.

• Ash asked the fairies what they thought of Earth, and they praised the planet while advising him not to conquer it yet.
• The fairies suggested Ash could let Pretty Cure remain free and eventually win them as queens of the Black Night Kingdom.
• After a black bat gave Ash a book of romantic phrases, he left his kingly attire behind and set out to make Pretty Cure his wives.
• Puff gave Haruka, Kirara, and Minami gifts from Ash, including revealing clothes for Minami, a chest-growth potion for Kirara, and mascara for Haruka.
• Kirara poured out the potion, Haruka angrily threw down the mascara, and the girls’ opinion of Ash fell further.
• In a Christmas special, Ash accepted a banner signed by the Pretty Cure and exchanged greetings with a bespectacled man.

Ash and Amanogawa Kirara delivered reader-chosen Christmas gifts to the Pretty Cures, leading to romantic reunions and embraces with several of them. They arrived at Haruno Haruka’s stop, where she greeted Ash with amused surprise.

• Ash dressed as Santa Claus and enlisted Amanogawa Kirara as his reindeer to deliver gifts chosen by readers.
• Ash gave Yotsuba Arisu breast-enhancement medicine, and she kissed him and pulled him into her bedroom.
• Ash reunited with Aida Mana, gave her a coupon for one favor, and received handmade heart-shaped chocolate in return.
• Ash gave Dark Precure toy figures, then explained their story as she kissed him and promised their ending would be different.
• Ash gave Hanasaki Rei a photo book of himself, received formalwear she had made, and kissed her cheek.
• Ash and Kirara reached Haruno Haruka, who greeted Santa Claus Ash with amusement.

Ash spent Christmas giving Haruka and Kirara gifts before Megumi claimed him as her return gift. The Pretty Cures discussed whether Ash was truly their enemy, then learned from Kanata that a prophecy described him as both a destroyer of the Fairy Kingdom and someone who helped others fulfill their wishes.

• Ash gave Haruka a maid outfit, and she blushingly called him “Master” before Kirara delivered gifts to the others.
• Kirara accepted Ash’s handmade tea set, while Megumi pulled Ash onto her bed and kept him from resisting.
• Minami reviewed the Pretty Cures’ mission to gather the remaining Dress-Up Keys, and Kirara argued that Ash’s strength made him a dangerous enemy.
• Haruka suggested Ash might be courting them rather than intending to harm them, so Minami used the Princess Lesson Pad to contact Kanata.
• Kanata said Dysdark had suddenly stopped producing despair energy and asked whether something had changed on Earth.
• Kanata warned that a prophecy cast Ash as a dangerous destroyer, though it also said many people loved him for changing their lives and helping them fulfill their wishes.

Ash joined Noble Academy as a janitor and quickly unsettled the Pretty Cure by acting as though he intended to take control of the school. After cleaning his new office with ease, he faced Haruka’s question about why a King had applied for the job.

• The Pretty Cure discussed Ash’s past crimes and the prophecy before learning that Noble Academy had hired a new janitor.
• Platinum introduced Ash to Minami and the students, and Ash promised to protect the academy while hinting at his plans to take it over.
• Haruka, Minami, and Kirara escorted Ash to his office, where he teased them about his tailored gifts and claimed they wanted him as a husband.
• Ash rapidly cleaned the dusty office and declared that his strength and talent had earned him his title as King.
• Haruka asked Ash why he had applied to become a janitor if he was a King.

Ash tried to get closer to the Pretty Cure during Noble Academy’s Family Day, where Haruka hoped to reunite with her family. After learning her little sister resented her, Haruka sought Ash’s advice and discovered he had no memories of his own parents.

• Ash explained his idea of a king and said he wanted the Pretty Cure to become his Queens, but they rejected his advances.
• During Family Day preparations, Ash asked Haruka about her family and eagerly focused on meeting her little sister, Momoka.
• Ash reassured Haruka that he would not interfere with her family’s visit, and she went to greet her mother.
• Haruka returned upset because Momoka, who had once adored her, now hated her as a big sister.
• Ash suggested Momoka was acting rebellious to show she had grown up, but Haruka’s attempt to entertain her failed.
• Haruka asked whether Ash had siblings, and he said he could not remember his parents’ faces and had no family; he then comforted her and insisted he did not need anyone’s sympathy.

Ash comforted Haruka as she struggled to reconnect with her younger sister, Momoka, then used his music and advice to help the girls reconcile. He arranged for Momoka to visit Haruka regularly, leaving Haruka surprised by how close her sister had grown to Ash.

• Ash offered Haruka the chance to become his Queen, and she found herself less resistant to the idea of family than before.
• Haruka brought homemade cookies to Momoka, but Momoka rejected them and remained distant, leaving Haruka frustrated.
• Momoka accidentally spilled Minami's juice, and Haruka scolded her; Momoka ran off in tears while Haruka and her friends searched for her.
• Ash found Momoka by a lake, played guitar for her, and reassured her that Haruka still cared about her.
• Ash promised Momoka she could see Haruka on days off, and Momoka apologized and reunited with her sister.
• Momoka thanked Ash and hugged him, startling Haruka with their apparent closeness.

Ash helped Haruka find Momoka, who mistook him for Haruka’s boyfriend and ran off to tell their parents. Shut tried to capture Momoka’s dream, but Ash’s strange fairies and Kivat drove him away; later, Haruka prepared for her first date with Ash, hoping to understand him and perhaps find a way to defeat him.

• Ash teased Haruka after she thanked him for helping find Momoka, and Momoka declared that Ash was Haruka’s boyfriend before running off to tell their parents.
• Shut watched the group and tried to use Momoka’s dream to create a Fortress of Despair that would defeat the Pretty Cures.
• Kivat and Ash’s unusual fairies surrounded Shut, revealed that they had gambled their dreams on Ash, and threatened him with a golden sword.
• Shut retreated, while Ash decided to remember the grudge after Shut threatened what belonged to him.
• Haruka got ready with Nanase Yui for her date with Ash, explaining that she wanted him to enjoy doing good things and that she hoped to find a way to defeat him.

Haruka went on a date with Ash, hoping ordinary happiness might soften his twisted nature, while Ash tried to impress her and win her affection. After a day of thrilling amusement-park rides and snacks, Haruka found herself enjoying his company, though Ash remained focused on becoming her King and making her his Queen.

• Ash arrived late to meet Haruka, dressed in a suit, and the two began their date by holding hands.
• Ash led Haruka through the streets and dragged her to a series of intense amusement-park attractions, which she eventually enjoyed.
• Haruka tried to lead Ash to a claw machine, but he nearly sentenced it to death after it dropped a plush toy.
• Ash and Haruka ate parfaits together, and Haruka realized she was having fun despite her misgivings about dating him.

Haruka and Ash’s date turned awkward when Ash admitted he had no money, then soured further as they argued over Hope Kingdom and another king Haruka admired. Their confrontation was interrupted when Ash sensed an intruder and left the instrument shop.

• Ash realized he could not pay for their drinks, so Haruka covered the bill and he promised to repay her.
• Haruka and Ash visited an instrument shop, where Ash played an erhu and they discussed their musical interests.
• Haruka asked Ash about Prince Kanata and the king who had once inspired her, and Ash became jealous and insisted that he was the only king.
• Ash mocked Hope Kingdom and its lost princess, prompting Haruka to argue with him about the fallen kingdom and her dream of becoming a princess.
• Ash sensed danger, left the shop, and called out, “Fortress of Despair—!”

Haruno Haruka became Cure Flora and fought Fortress of Despair to rescue the dream trapped in its cage, while Ash transformed into Dark Kiva and proposed a contest before she refused to gamble with someone else’s dream. Ash quickly overwhelmed Shut, then challenged him to fight while Ash kept his hands behind his back.

• Fortress of Despair attacked Haruka and Ash, and Shut introduced himself as Dysdark’s Three Musketeers member seeking revenge.
• Ash proposed competing with Haruka to see who could free the captured dream first, but Haruka refused to treat a person’s dream as a wager and transformed into Cure Flora.
• Ash transformed into Dark Kiva, and Haruka charged Fortress of Despair while Ash faced Shut.
• Ash sent Shut flying to a construction site and explained that not being a Pretty Cure did not make him weak.
• Haruka lured Fortress of Despair onto ice, struck it with her Crystal Princess Rod, and sent it flying.
• Ash caught Shut’s knife-hand strike, praised Haruka’s resolve, and challenged Shut to fight while keeping his hands behind his back.

Ash fought Shut while Haruno Haruka purified the Fortress of Despair and rescued the stolen dreams, leaving Ash to accept his loss and talk with her about what it meant to become a Princess.

• Ash overwhelmed Shut with one-legged attacks and demanded that he deactivate the Fortress of Despair, but Shut explained that he could not stop its dream-powered movement.
• Haruno Haruka battered the Fortress of Despair, activated Elegant Mode, and purified it with Precure Floral Tourbillon.
• Haruno Haruka opened the fortress’s cage and restored the shop clerk’s dream, while Kivat told Ash that he had lost.
• Ash acknowledged Haruno Haruka’s dream and asked her to describe it, then questioned how she could become a Princess without royal ancestry.
• Haruno Haruka explained that she wanted to become a gentle, beautiful person who inspired hope and resisted invaders, and Ash jokingly invited her to become his daughter.
• Ash and Haruno Haruka laughed together and agreed that their conversation had been a pleasant date.

After her date with Ash, Haruka hid in her room out of embarrassment, while Minami and Kirara wrongly assumed he had harmed her. Haruka explained that she was ashamed of smashing Fortress of Despair with her Princess Magic Wand, then told her friends that Ash had acknowledged her dream and would not truly harm them before fulfilling his pursuit.

• Haruka told Ash that she would keep pursuing him, and he challenged her to do her best.
• Minami and Kirara heard that Haruka had shut herself away after her date and suspected Ash had mistreated her.
• Ash entered the dormitory to replace Haruka’s broken light and bantered familiarly with her, confusing Minami and Kirara.
• Minami and Kirara asked Haruka what had happened, and she confessed that she was embarrassed about using her wand like a hammer to smash Fortress of Despair.
• Haruka said Ash had acknowledged her dream and that she believed he would not truly harm them before fulfilling his pursuit.
• Minami felt Haruka’s forehead and joked that she must have a fever for trusting Ash.

Ash visited Haruka and Minami, teasing them as he tried to win their affection, while both girls resisted his advances. Minami declared that Ash would never make her fall for him, leaving their conflict unresolved.

• Kirara and Minami watched Ash visit Haruka, who served him tea and asked for his approval as a Princess.
• Ash drank directly from Haruka’s teapot, then rapidly studied her math textbook and explained a difficult problem to her.
• Ash entered the dance studio while Minami practiced ballet and openly praised her figure, prompting her to call him a pervert and slap at him.
• Minami challenged Ash’s attempt to pursue her through unfair advantages, and he changed the subject to praise her work as Student Council President.
• Minami wiped away tears and insisted that she would never fall for Ash’s tricks or come to like him.

Ash tried to win over Minami, confessed loudly that he loved the Pretty Cure, and explained his idea of pure love as loving every Pretty Cure. Minami laughed at his absurd reasoning and felt less afraid of him, then found Kivat inviting her through Ash’s portal.

• Ash backed away from Minami and said he liked her dignified confidence and dancing, then explained that he wanted her as a Queen because he genuinely liked her.
• Minami asked whether Ash wanted the Pretty Cure’s power or their dreams, and Ash said he wanted everything about them, including their hearts.
• Ash shouted a public confession to the Pretty Cure outside the dance room, drawing a crowd and prompting the platinum-haired dorm supervisor to question him.
• Minami pulled Ash away before he could reveal her identity, and Ash told her he was a pure-love enthusiast who loved every Pretty Cure.
• Minami laughed at Ash’s explanation, and he left through a portal; Kivat then beckoned Minami to enter it.

Minami entered Doran Castle Dragon hoping to learn more about Ash, but fled after discovering that its fairies were ghosts inside costume bodies. Meanwhile, Yui settled into her apprentice-maid role and reunited with Minami, whose fright caught Ash’s interest.

• A little bat offered to guide Minami into the Black Night Kingdom, and Minami entered Doran Castle Dragon to learn more about Ash.
• Minami overheard fairies praising Ash for bringing them leftover Family Day snacks, then saw them unzip their costumes and emerge as ghost flames.
• The ghost fairies recognized Minami as a Queen-in-waiting candidate and tried to help her, but she panicked and ran from them.
• Little Blue officially assigned Yui to clean Ash’s room and introduced her to the castle’s fairies, while Yui described her dream of becoming a picture-book illustrator.
• Yui spotted Minami fleeing from the ghost fairies and realized that the normally fearless student council president was afraid of ghosts.
• Ash watched Minami’s escape through the little bat’s eyes and asked what she had shouted while running.

Ash arranged a ghost-themed test to help Minami confront her fear of ghosts, recruiting Yui and several ghostly fairies to stage a frightening scene. Minami discovered Yui surrounded by the ghosts and struggled to decide how to save her, while Yui played the terrified victim for Ash’s plan.

• Yui told Ash that Minami was afraid of ghosts, and Ash announced he would help Minami overcome the fear through exposure.
• Ash showed Yui a Dress Up Key and asked her to cooperate with his plan for Minami.
• Minami returned from the Black Night Kingdom and followed a second Dress Up Key to a Blue-Eyes White Dragon projection that demanded she prove her Radiance and strong heart.
• Minami saw ghostly flames surrounding Yui and panicked when she recognized her friend in danger.
• The ghosts, who were playing along with Ash’s scheme, asked Yui to act more frightened as Minami watched.

Minami faced Ash’s test and chose to risk herself to save Yui, earning the Dress Up Key and awakening as Cure Mermaid. When Shut immediately turned Yui into a Fortress of Despair, Minami fought alone and knocked the monster down, but it began to rise again.

• Ash disguised Yui’s predicament as a ghost attack and told Minami to flee, but Minami ran toward the danger to save her friend.
• Minami protected Yui from the fake ghosts, learned about Ash’s test, and received the Dress Up Key after Ash judged that she had passed.
• A Dysdark attacker sealed Yui in a cage and turned her dream into a Fortress of Despair, while Shut confronted Minami alone.
• Minami transformed into Cure Mermaid and used water, agile movements, and a Rider Kick to bring down the Fortress of Despair.
• Shut pointed out that the injured Fortress of Despair was getting back up.

Minami struggled against a strengthened Fortress of Despair that had stolen Yui’s dream, until Ash appeared and angrily attacked it for harming one of his people. After Ash proved too powerful for the monster and lamented its weakness, Minami sealed it with Precure Bubble Ripple.

• Minami dodged the Fortress of Despair’s newly real attacks, while Shut claimed Lady Dyspear had granted him greater power.
• Ash appeared, praised Minami’s Mermaid Angel form, and confronted the Fortress of Despair for taking Yui’s dream.
• Ash overwhelmed the Fortress of Despair with punches and a kick, then mocked its attempt to draw something capable of defeating him.
• Ash complained that the Fortress of Despair was too weak to be a worthy enemy, while Minami wondered about his concern for Yui and his intentions toward Pretty Cure.
• Minami used Precure Bubble Ripple to seal the Fortress of Despair.