Line #43 NightmareFuel/PrettyCure


1	Creator/ToeiAnimation is no stranger to making shows both aimed at young girls and littered with terrifying moments, and this [[Anime/PrettyCure magical girl anime]] is no sloth in this department. But it has one major difference: instead of adapting a Shojo manga, Toei decided to make it '''a full-blown CashCowFranchise in-house'''. God help us all...
2
3	!Moments pages are Administrivia/SpoilersOff. Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned!
4	[[index]]
5	* ''NightmareFuel/YesPrettyCure5GoGoTheMovieHappyBirthdayInTheLandOfSweets''
6	* ''NightmareFuel/SmilePreCure''
7	* ''NightmareFuel/HappinessChargePrettyCure''
8	* ''NightmareFuel/GoPrincessPrettyCure''
9	* ''NightmareFuel/KiraKiraPrecureALaMode''
10	* ''NightmareFuel/HugttoPrettyCure''
11	* ''NightmareFuel/StarTwinklePrettyCure''
12	* ''NightmareFuel/HealinGoodPrettyCure''
13	* ''NightmareFuel/TropicalRougePrettyCure''
14	* ''NightmareFuel/HirogaruSkyPrettyCure''
15	[[/index]]
16
17	[[AC:'''Anime/FutariWaPrettyCure''']]
18	* [[StarterVillain Pisard]] might look like a silly Kabuki version of Music/DavidBowie at first glance, but make no mistake, he can be surprisingly frightening. His evil plans target civilians far more often than not.
19	** In episode 2, Pisard's Zakenna blows the Cures into an elevator shaft. Then Pisard shows up at the top and cuts the cables, and the elevator plummets at a dizzying speed. As he does, the five people inside the elevator -- including Nagisa's friends Shiho and Rina -- all start screaming at the top of their lungs! Anyone who's afraid of elevator accidents will have a difficult time with this episode.
20	** Pisard's third plan is horrifying. Impersonating the student teacher Ryuuichi Kazama, he visits Nagisa and Honoka's middle school and brainwashes Ms. Takenouchi, their teacher, into bringing them to him alone. Imagine being 14 years old and having your teacher ask to speak to you outside, not suspecting anything, only to lead you to the gym, where [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything a strange, threatening man you don't know is waiting]]... Once Pisard reveals himself, things get even scarier: while the Cures are busy fighting off his Zakenna, he's hypnotized Ms. Takenouchi into [[PsychicAssistedSuicide walking off a beam all the way up on the ceiling]]! Thank goodness Cure Black and Cure White rescued her in time.
21	** Episode 4 features Pisard at his absolute grimmest. He shows up without saying a word and gives the school bus a spooky glare that ''[[TakenForGranite turns all the passengers to stone]]''. When he sees that he missed the Cures, he barges into the museum and starts petrifying everyone he comes across. These people actually notice him, and they only have enough time to move a couple inches and scream before getting frozen. Even the Cures' TransformationSequence doesn't let up on the scares, as it usually does: Pisard brings the paintings to life and washes them into a huge gallery, where he reveals he's petrified ''dozens'' of museum guests. Some of them float by the camera, allowing us to see the [[SarcasmMode lovely]] image of '''''[[AndIMustScream every single one of them screaming in horror]]'''''. And he even has the audacity to use them as a HumanShield. He knows full well what he's doing, as he taunts the Cures with the idea that if they attack too recklessly, they could [[LiterallyShatteredLives shatter the people inside]]. No wonder Nagisa has nightmares about him in the next episode. Brrr.
22	* Episode 9's Zakenna is a possessed anatomical model. It's introduced when Vice Principal Kometsuki sees a "student" standing in the halls after dark. Then he goes to reprimand it. Cue the FaceRevealingTurn. Not only is it [[JumpScare sudden enough]] to give any viewer a little jolt, it frightens the bejesus out of Kometsuki, and he screams loud.
23	* Episode 11, where Nagisa, Honoka, and Ryouta visit the aquarium, is nice and light... until the Zakennas are called in. Once possessed, all the [[ThreateningShark sharks]] suddenly go berserk and hurl themselves against the glass. But they can't hurt anyone, right? ''Wrong!'' After a few hits, [[OhCrap the glass starts to crack]]. Then it breaks, and the halls are flooded with water. The entire aquarium has to be evacuated. For anyone with thalassophobia or a fear of drowning, this can be uncomfortable to watch.
24	* The final fight with Gekidrago, who up to this point has been [[LaughablyEvil mostly goofy]], is much scarier than his previous encounters. [[FusionDance Fusing together with the possessed marine life]], he transforms into a hideous giant with his head inside an enormous shark mouth, a stingray's whip-like tail, and a pair of moray eels for hands that can spit cannons of water. Then Ryouta makes the mistake of running out onto the battlefield. Gekidrago's eel attack misses Cure Black and hits right in front of the little boy, who gets launched back from the impact... and doesn't move. You'd be forgiven for thinking Gekidrago just [[WouldHurtAChild killed a child]], and ''on screen'' no less!
25	-->'''Cure White:''' To go as far as involving such a young child... [[YouMonster What kind of person are you]]?!
26	* Poisony's tenure as ArcVillain raises the stakes tremendously. She's [[WakeUpCallBoss much smarter than the previous villains]], and is so terrifyingly competent that she very nearly ''wins'' half the time. To make matters worse, she's a ShapeshiftingTrickster, so [[ParanoiaFuel it's nearly impossible to tell who the heroes can trust and who is really Poisony in disguise]] until she has them right where she wants them.
27	** Her debut outing is both suspenseful and scary, and excellently shows what the Cures will be up against going forward. Mepple is stolen away easily, and by the time Nagisa realizes the "chocolate lady" is not to be trusted, Poisony has already transformed into someone completely different and tempted Honoka with a [[MasterOfIllusion dream-like illusion]]. When the jig is up, she reveals she had Zakenna possess everybody in the town square as a backup plan, and they descend upon the Cures and Honoka's grandmother like a horde of zombies. The music swells, Cure Black and White recite [[InTheNameOfTheMoon their catchphrase]]... and Poisony is gone. She disappeared ''during the TransformationSequence''. That alone speaks volumes about [[NoNonsenseNemesis what kind of person she is]].
28	** Episode 14 features some of the most harrowing action in the show up to that point. Here, Poisony takes a page out of Pisard's book and brainwashes the Cures' classmates: she also tries to [[PsychicAssistedSuicide have them walk off the edge of a tall building]]. But she doesn't want them to die, oh no. [[ExploitedTrope It's a feint]]. When the heroes try to rescue their friends, Poisony has her victims turn the tables, and the Cures nearly fall to their doom.
29	** During midterm exams, the Cures fling open what they think is their classroom door. It turns out to be a perilous fall -- they drop, and keep dropping, for several minutes straight into a bizarre room while Poisony's eyes and lips float by to taunt them. [[HopeSpot They actually manage to land a hit]] in the ensuing battle... then, Poisony snaps her fingers. Instantly, they're transported inside one of the mirrors, which Poisony shatters one by one, taunting them about how they are going to die. If not for Kiriya, she would have [[LiterallyShatteredLives broken them into tiny shards of glass]]! This is also one of the few dialogue edits concerning death in the English dub, ''because Poisony says the mirrors wil be Pretty Cure's grave in the Japanese version.''
30	** Poisony's role as ParanoiaFuel incarnate comes to a head when she turns herself into a carbon copy of Honoka, down to [[CrazyPrepared tiny details]] like wearing her perfume and replicating Mipple's Card Commune. What follows is a very tense game of SpotTheImposter, where both of the Honokas look, act, and ''[[VoiceChangeling sound]]'' completely identical to one another. Poisony is eventually exposed, but not before giving the viewer another scare: the false Honoka gives a PsychoticSmirk and says, now speaking in Poisony's voice, "well, I guess it can't be helped!"
31	** The final battle against Poisony is her biggest spectacle of all, and somehow makes her several leagues scarier. She tells the Cures she's going to "get serious"... and, when she says "serious", she means ''[[AxCrazy absolutely batshit insane]]''. Gone is her usual composed self: now, Poisony is flashing [[SlasherSmile deranged grins]] left and right and [[EvilIsHammy yelling at scenery-chewing volumes]] about how useless it is to fight her. And that's just the start. After she scores a few hits, Poisony busts out a never-before-seen ability: her PrehensileHair. It's like a force of nature, and she can make it grow several times her size -- by the end of the battle, it's grown out to five times the length of her body and unfurled into a pair of jagged, unruly "limbs". And she's absolutely merciless with them. Once she has the Cures in her hair's grasp, she wastes no time smashing them into rooftops at breakneck speed, then [[WhatADrag dragging them against the walls]] all the way to ground level. FamilyUnfriendlyViolence at its finest!
32	* There's a brief JumpScare with the owner of Reikusaido: he puts on a [[WhiteMaskOfDoom frightening mask]] to scare the Misumis, but it's likely to startle the viewer too.
33	* TheReveal about a third of the way through the show that Jaaku King's Power of Darkness [[PowerIncontinence affects him too]]. The way he describes it, with the word ''mushibamu'' (to eat away at, corrode, or cripple) and increasingly frequent [[{{Angrish}} growls and roars]] from the pain, makes it clear this is an agonizing experience for him. From then on, his voice gets [[VocalEvolution progressively raspier]]. As intimidating and evil as he is, it's quite frightening to witness his decline.
34	* [[WhamEpisode Episode 19]] subverts the usual formula in a big way. Instead of Poisony, who's bad enough on her own, the main antagonist is ''[[TheDragon Illkubo himself]]''. What follows is the absolute bleakest 25 minutes of the entire season up to that point, and [[KnightOfCerebus it's all because of him]].
35	** The episode begins in typical light-hearted fashion. Mepple and Mipple [[ConflictBall get into a fight]] over him overeating and not acting heroic. Then, out of nowhere, there's a shot of a man collapsing. The Cures look out from the alley, startled, only to find that '''''everyone in the city has fallen unconscious'''''. They've all fainted wherever they were standing. The flowers are wilted. [[NothingIsScarier And there's no explanation whatsoever for any of it]]. Just dark clouds, muted colors, and total silence.
36	** Immediately after Nagisa and Honoka see this, we cut to Poisony... who is [[NotMeThisTime just as confused as they are]]. Once she finally realizes what's going on, she looks [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness genuinely frightened]]. That's right. Poisony, the heartless FemmeFatale who's been manipulating and brainwashing others for the past seven episodes, is ''[[HorrifyingTheHorror scared shitless]]'' of Illkubo.
37	** Things go {{from bad to worse}} once Illkubo shows up in the flesh. He's the cause of the disaster, of course -- the CrystalBall he's holding [[VampiricDraining sucked the life energy]] out of the entire city, which knocked all the citizens unconscious. And why did he do this? Well, let's hear straight from the horse's mouth:
38	-->'''Illkubo:''' Hoh... There seems to be more than I thought. Even though the power is small, if it is collected, [[OfferingsToTheGods it will prove a fine gift for my lord Jaaku King]].
39	** The battle against Illkubo is [[CurbStompBattle one-sided]], to say the least. He has the Cures completely outmatched, leaving them helpless just by countering their attacks. He barely uses any techniques of his own besides the occasional blast of wind, and considering the diverse magical abilities of previous villains, you can't help but get the sense that he's holding back his true power. Then, with our heroes at his mercy, Illkubo holds up that terrifying CrystalBall of his. Drained dry of light, ''[[BroughtDownToNormal their transformation wears off]]''. Never has battling the forces of darkness seemed so utterly ''hopeless'' for Pretty Cure. And there's no respite when Nagisa and Honoka transform back, either -- Illkubo takes the full brunt of a Marble Screw and simply vanishes, like Poisony did seven episodes before, and the stolen Power of Light comes down in the form of a somber rain.
40	** Ilkubo shows up one last time at the very end of the episode, and he's [[NoSell totally unharmed]]. And a little annoyed, too, judging by his FistOfRage. His presence totally spoils the SurprisinglyHappyEnding -- just seeing him will make you think the Cures' desperate struggle against him only served to delay their inevitable defeat until the next episode. He cryptically mutters that they might be getting stronger. The scene then cuts to Jaaku King alone in the Dotsuku Zone. He doesn't say anything. He just sits there, staring into the camera and letting out [[VaderBreath raspy, wheezing breaths]]. [[MoodWhiplash And then the credits roll]]. ''Chilling.''
41	* Episode 23 features the return of Illkubo's vampiric CrystalBall, and this time he's at odds with [[EnemyToAllLivingThings nature itself]]. Trees turn to [[ForestOfPerpetualAutumn autumnal reds and oranges]] or nearly fall and crush people, spontaneous blackouts strike buildings, and a gorgeous lake dries up completely... the whole thing is framed with much suspense and mystery, and even knowing it's Illkubo's fault doesn't make his impact on the landscape any less drastic. The episode's battle with Illkubo is appropriately dire, too: this time, he ''actually fights back''. Rather than undo Pretty Cure's transformations, he [[HopeSpot tears hope away]] at the last second when he [[NoSell breaks their Marble Screw off in his hands]]. Then, using their energy, he's able to summon Wisdom through a portal. Just like that, the Dotsuku Zone has five of the Prism Stones, and [[NiceJobBreakingItHero it's all Nagisa and Honoka's fault]]!
42	* Illkubo keeps up the frights in episode 24. Once again [[ForcedSleep knocking everyone unconscious]] except our heroes, he transforms the entire area into a [[SceneryGorn ruined city]] full of towering skyscrapers to cage them in, and some of those buildings come crumbling down on their heads [[MalevolentArchitecture as if the entire city is trying to kill them]]. At the very end, after a brief chase squence, '''''[[OhCrap he takes the last two Prism Stones]]'''''. For one heart-stopping moment, it looks like TheBadGuyWins, and Illkubo is happy to indulge in some [[NotSoStoic triumphant]] evil laughter as he gloats.
43	* The SeriesFauxnale, episode 26, is every bit as terrifying as you'd expect. Just when Pretty Cure's quest seems over, a [[BackFromTheDead revived Illkubo]], now huge and shadowy like Jaaku King, appears out of nowhere to kidnap them to the Dotsuku Zone... and that's where everything goes to hell.
44	** Illkubo kicks the episode off with a [[OneWingedAngel dramatic transformation]] into a hideous, muscle-bound giant with grey skin and a face that looks like a RageHelm. Gone is his usual calm, composed self: now, he's little more a [[AxCrazy raging beast]] that tries to beat the heroes senseless and lets out echoey roars with every strike. Illkubo is somehow [[TheJuggernaut even more impervious to harm than before]] -- he doesn't even notice a flurry of punches to his back -- and he's added an all-new attack to his already fearsome arsenal. He charges up power, ready for a fatal blow... and launches a tiny spark. The spark floats harmlessly past the Cures. [[HavingABlast Then it detonates]]. And whew, boy, does it detonate. The entire blast zone is reduced to a smoldering crater. Illkubo was terrifying enough in his normal form. Make him insane with rage, practically invincible, and give him the power to shoot cluster-bomb blasts from his hands, and you have a foe even more frightening than Jaaku King himself.
45	** Illkubo's death. Just before he can use his new explosions to blow Pretty Cure to kingdom come, Jaaku King's eyes suddenly flash across the screen and a huge BoltOfDivineRetribution strikes Illkubo's body. That horrifically powerful, souped-up enemy who was more than capable of killing Nagisa and Honoka is reduced to a screaming wreck before their eyes. In between those cries of pain, he's [[SayMyName howling "Pretty Cure" and "Jaaku King-sama"]], until his body crumples into nothingness. Then there's a [[DefeatEqualsExplosion huge explosion]]. It's as if Illkubo couldn't resist giving the audience one last JumpScare before he went.
46	** Rather than kill Pretty Cure right away, Jaaku King poses a seemingly simple question: "what is darkness?" Cue a MotiveRant full of existential horror where Jaaku King's disembodied voice speaks to Cure Black and White, who are suspended, wordless, in a pitch-black void.
47	-->'''Jaaku King:''' ABSOLUTE STILLNESS. ABSOLUTE NOTHINGNESS. ABSOLUTE DARKNESS. "DARKNESS" IS EVERYTHING IN THIS WORLD. [[WeAllDieSomeday ONE DAY]], THE GARDEN OF LIGHT AND THE GARDEN OF RAINBOWS MUST BOTH PERISH. AND IN THE END, WHAT REMAINS... IS DARKNESS. [[ApocalypseHow/ClassX4 DARKNESS WILL RETURN EVERYTHING TO NOTHING]]. NO MATTER HOW YOU FIGHT, [[ShootTheShaggyDog IT IS POINTLESS]]. EVERYTHING SHALL PERISH. FOR [[YouCantFightFate IT IS THEIR DESTINY TO BECOME DARKNESS]]. FALL INTO ETERNAL SLUMBER IN THE DARKNESS.
48	* Episode 27 begins with a scenic river vista. Then, the flowers suddenly wither and die, and something dark starts to ripple across the field and kill the grass like a fire swallowing paper. As ominous music plays, a shadowy plant sprouts, and keeps growing... until the shape it takes on is unmistakably, disturbingly ''human''. The silhouette exhales, its mouth opened wide. Creepy enough on its own, but then you learn that this could very well have been the birth of one of the Seeds of Darkness, and you were there to witness it.
49	* Juna's "awakening" is frightening to witness. At an office building somewhere in the city, a weather report is talking about a coming storm, and the [[OfficeLady office ladies]] are gossiping to each other about the recent company trip. Kakuzawa, one of the employees, walks in front of the TV and stops, not responding to anyone. A HeartbeatSoundtrack begins thumping louder and louder... and then the man shoves his coworker to the ground with a berserk scream and ''[[SuperWindowJump hurls himself out the window]]'' for no apparent reason. After he turns into Juna, we cut back to the window, which is inexplicably fine, and the same gossip resumes again. It was like Kakuzawa was never there -- [[RetGone he's even missing from the trip's photo]]. You'd be forgiven for drawing comparisons to [[Recap/TheTwilightZone1959S1E11AndWhenTheSkyWasOpened The Twilight Zone]].
50	* The Seeds of Darkness's death is ''very'' unsettling. Also, once their fused body is absorbed by the Dark King, their faces can be seen contorted in pain and horror as they disappear. Must have been a terrible experience for them despite how much they deserved it.
51	* A giant hole where everything falls into (trains, trees, oceans, possibly humans...) isn't exactly something you'd expect to see in a show like this. And it might be unnerving to see Black and White in the middle of said hole, on the only solid space, chatting normally like nothing is happening, meaning...'''''they gave up'''''.
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53	[[AC:'''Anime/FutariWaPrettyCureSplashStar''']]
54	* In Episode 24, after Midori tells Saki she doesn't know who [[RetGone Kaoru]] is. Other than Saki's reaction, the sound effect is truly terrifying. It's brief but intense.
55	* Ah, isn't just nice to see the world turned into a desolated landscape with nothing to see but a withered tree in miles and miles? Well, no. And I'm pretty sure the Cures will agree.
56	* And after that the world is destroyed by Goyan, leaving only floating fragments behind... Things get better but that scenery is haunting.
57
58	[[AC:'''Anime/YesPrettyCure5''']]
59	* Kowainas are pretty creepy for being MonstersOfTheWeek. Especially their mask.
60	* Kawarino's Despair Mask just look plain ''creepy and haunting''. Not to mention every non-named Nightmare members are wearing one, and at one point, all Cures end up wearing one, to the point that Nozomi in ''Go!Go!'' used ''that'' event as 'something she doesn't want to happen again'... [[MeaningfulName Well, they ain't called "Nightmare" for nothing.]]
61	* And when Nozomi broke that off thanks to Coco, she dove in to her friends' mind... and found her friends first acting normal, but later revealed to have been thoroughly brainwashed and have extremely creepy DullEyesOfUnhappiness. Pretty chilling.
62	* None of them are nice people, but Nightmare employees' defeats are enough to make you feel uncomfortable. These are notable in the franchise because they basically get an extremely powerful upgrade that takes their sanity to the point they cant do more than rampage and try to kill Pretty Cure, and when they are defeated they are desintegrated and killed off entirely. The only reason the Cures doing this doesnt make them cross the MoralEventHorizon, is because they lost their selves entirely already and ending their suffering was indeed the most merciful thing to do.
63	* The one exception to the sanity loss is Bloody, who indeed is horribly transformed against his will into a powerful monster... Who takes revenge on Kawarino by taking him to a new dimension where he will has his revenge by torturing him.
64	* Okay, who thought it was a smart idea to have Nuts accidentally cause a '''bleeding''' injury to Coco with a Miracle Light during the premise of the movie? In all seriousness, it might have been for comedy but...apart from Coco's rather disturbing reaction and that being one of the ''very'' few moments where blood appears in the franchise, there was really nothing comical about it. Well, at least when it was first aired in the cinema [[FridgeHorror it scared children enough]] [[FridgeBrilliance so that they wouldn't play around with their lights]].
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66	[[AC:'''Anime/FreshPrettyCure''']]
67	* The Blackboard Nakewameke can make ''anything'' disappear as long as a photo of it is inserted in it, including people.
68	* Infinity!Chiffon. Those eyes. '''''Those eyes'''''.
69	* Whatever happens to Eas when she summons a Nakisakebe. It involves strangling. And thorns.
70	* And the less we speak to what happened to France once Moebius got a hold of Chiffon the better.
71	* '''Northa'''. ''Anything'' she does is creepy. Heck, even the original TerribleTrio fears her.
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73	[[AC:'''Anime/HeartcatchPrettyCure''']]
74	* The Desert Devils.
75	* Dark Pretty Cure's defeat is unsettling. Not the one where she disappears in the light, but the one where she collapse with her body twisted in an odd way and with open eyes staring ahead, while the camera zooms away. It's like watching a corpse.
76
77	[[AC:'''Anime/DokiDokiPrecure''']]
78	* The destruction of the Trump Kingdom and the fate of its citizens. The younger kids probably won't understand what it's like to lose your home and your folks, but it makes the older kids (and the older audience) cringe.
79	* King Trump is this as well. His internal conflict in Episode 46 is unsettling at best, like his expression when breaking the seal. Then it becomes worse when the Proto Jikochu possesses him and turns him into King Jikochu. The black mass envelops and make him suffer so much that he smash the window and then falls off the balcony, all the while screaming in pain. And then he turns into a giant monster. That's not something you usually see in a kids' show.
80	* While we're at it, King Jikochu resembles a giant demon, with a skull-like face and horns. Proto Jikochu is like him, but also with six arms, wings and with a mouth on his stomach. Thankfully, he's not as big as King Jikochu, but still...
81	* Also, Bel might not have been a good person, by a long shot, but you may feel unnerved when the black mass twists his body enough to make him cry for help (and be promptly ignored).
82
83	[[AC:'''[[Anime/MahoGirlsPreCure Maho Tsukai Pretty Cure]]''']]
84	* Dokurokushe is perhaps one of the creepiest characters in the franchise. He's literally a skeleton and it's not a cartoonish one, but a real one. And it's what remains of Kushe. Yep, you read that right. It's whatever remained of him after using the dark arts too much. You know what that means right? Dokurokushe is a literal '''human skeleton'''.
85	* '''Everything''' about Deusmast is haunting if [[https://prettycure.fandom.com/wiki/Deusmast?file=MTPC48_-_Kotoha_explains_the_origin_of_Deusmast.png this picture]] is any proof. And if you're wondering, then yes. Those are planets.
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87	[[AC:'''Anime/DeliciousPartyPrettyCure''']]
88	* In Episode 21, Precious was this close in becoming slush, had Black Pepper not stopped the ice shaver Motto Ubauzo in time.
89	* The fact that Godatz was more than willing to cause a famine is surpirsingly dark even among villains' objectives. Most of the time, Pretty Cure villains want to conquer the world or destroy it, not slowly letting its people die until they submit to them.
90
91	[[AC:'''Anime/PrettyCureAllStars''']]
92	* When the revived villains speak to the Cures through Bottom in ''All Star DX 2''. Not only they are part of the giant mass of...whatever that is, but they also twist their body parts in ways that certainly shouldn't be possible. And Northa is no doubt the creepiest of them all.

Context NightmareFuel / PrettyCure