Star Detective Precure Episode 39 Ojamajo Doremi Crossover Announced

Toei just did something I didn’t see coming, and I’m still grinning about it. Episode 39 of Star Detective Precure!, titled ‘Ojamajo na Halloween,’ airs in Japan on Sunday, October 25, 2026, and it’s a full crossover with Ojamajo Doremi. Yes, that Doremi. The 1999 witch-apprentice classic that raised a whole generation of magical girl fans.

I’ve watched plenty of anniversary stunts and ‘special collab’ announcements, and most of them feel like marketing wearing a costume. This one feels different. It has a reason to exist, and the reason is baked into the show’s premise.

Why This Crossover Actually Makes Sense

Here’s the trick that makes it work. Star Detective Precure! sends 14-year-old Anna Akechi from 2027 back to 1999 in Makoto Mirai City, where she teams up with an aspiring sleuth, Mikuru Kobayashi, to run a detective agency and hunt for a way home.

And 1999 is the year Ojamajo Doremi premiered.

So inside the show’s own world, Doremi is simply on TV. It’s the hit kids’ anime of the moment, the thing everyone at school is talking about. The writers didn’t need to invent a portal or a multiverse excuse. They just had to let the setting be honest about its era. That’s smart, and it’s also affectionate. I’d call it a love letter to the late-’90s, and I don’t throw that phrase around lightly.

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The Plot: Halloween, a Thief, and Borrowed Witch Hats

The setup is delightfully simple. Makoto Mirai City holds its first-ever Halloween festival in the shopping district. Naturally, that’s when Ageseine, a general of the villainous Phantom Thieves Guild, pulls off a high-profile theft.

For anyone new to the series, the Guild steals Makoto Jewels, crystallized human feelings that live inside treasured objects. The goal is to bury the world under lies and fabrications. It’s a surprisingly poignant villain concept for a kids’ show, and it fits a mystery format well.

To catch Ageseine, the CUREtto Detective Agency has to blend into the festival crowd. Their cover? Dressing as the Ojamajo witch apprentices. The casting of costumes is where the episode shows its teeth:

I love that these pairings aren’t random. Anna and Doremi are both lovable disasters. Luluka as Onpu is almost too perfect, since both carry that cool, elegant, ‘I’ve got this’ energy. Whoever assigned these roles clearly knows both casts.

The image of four Cures in apprentice robes has already gone viral, and honestly, I get it. It’s pure fan-service in the healthiest sense: you’re not being tricked into watching, you’re being invited to a party.

The TV Asahi Connection Nobody Should Overlook

Here’s a piece of history that makes this feel less like a gimmick and more like a family reunion.

Ojamajo Doremi ran four seasons from 1999 to 2003 on TV Asahi’s network, in the Sunday 8:30 AM slot. After it wrapped, and after a short stint with Ashita no Nadja, Toei used that very same slot to launch Futari wa Pretty Cure in 2004. Precure has held that Sunday morning real estate for over twenty years.

So when Doremi’s witches walk through a Precure episode, they’re essentially walking back into the house they once lived in. The lineage from one franchise to the other is literal, broadcast-schedule literal. I find that oddly moving.

Umakoshi’s Return Might Be the Real Headline

If you ask me what the biggest piece of this announcement is, it’s not the costumes. It’s the artwork.

The special crossover illustration was drawn by Yoshihiko Umakoshi, the original character designer and chief animation director of Ojamajo Doremi. He’s the person who gave Doremi and friends that loose, expressive, instantly recognizable look. He later moved to Precure and designed the characters of HeartCatch Precure! (2010–2011), a season that many fans still consider one of the best in the franchise’s history.

Think about what that means. A single artist links the visual DNA of both worlds, and he’s drawing the Star Detective cast in the classic Doremi style. That isn’t nostalgia bait. That’s continuity, handled by someone who earned the right to handle it. On fan forums, people are already praising Toei for bringing back the original creator rather than hiring an imitator. I agree completely.

The Team Behind Star Detective Precure!

For context, this isn’t a lazy season coasting on a crossover. The staff is strong:

• Director: Koji Kawasaki
• Series Composition: Isao Murayama
• Character Design: Akane Yano
• Music: Erika Fukasawa and Misaki Umase
• Opening Theme: ‘Heart ni Hint! Meitantei Precure!’ by Ami Ishii

And the voice cast brings real star power:

• Hikari Senga as Anna Akechi / Cure Answer
• Kaede Hondo as Mikuru Kobayashi / Cure Mystique
• Ikumi Hasegawa as Kurea Howa / Cure Eclair
• Nao Toyama as Luluka Moria / Cure Arcana
• Emiri Kato as the fairy Pochitan
• Yuki Kaji as the inventor Jett-senpai

The show premiered on February 1, 2026, and the chemistry among these voices has been one of its quiet strengths. A crossover lives or dies on tone, and a cast that already works as a team makes the ‘playing dress-up as someone else’ gag much easier to sell.

A Season That Keeps Swinging

What’s striking is how many big swings this series has taken. It has already worked in elements tied to Detective Conan, which is a natural match for a detective-themed Precure. A four-episode collaboration with Street Fighter 6 has also been announced, which is about as far from witch apprentices as you can get, and I mean that as a compliment.

Then there’s the film. Star Detective Precure! The Movie: The Mysterious Garden and a Secret Pair opened on September 18, 2026, and has reportedly crossed 1 billion yen at the Japanese box office, the fastest pace in the franchise’s history. Momentum like that gives a studio the confidence to try odd, charming ideas like this one.

What Fans Are Arguing About

The big debate right now: will any original Doremi voice actresses make an appearance? Maybe as a TV voice in the background, maybe as a surprise cameo. Toei hasn’t said anything, and the silence is part of the fun. I’m not betting either way, but I’ll admit that if a familiar voice drifts out of a shop window TV in that episode, I will absolutely lose it.

How to Watch Episode 39 Outside Japan

If you’re in the US or elsewhere internationally, Crunchyroll is simulcasting the series with Japanese audio and English subtitles. Episode 39 should arrive shortly after its TV Asahi broadcast on October 25, which conveniently lands right in the middle of Halloween weekend. Perfect timing for a marathon, really.

My Take

I’ll be honest about my bias: I’m a soft touch for this stuff. But strip the nostalgia away and the idea still holds up. The crossover is justified by the story’s own timeline, the costume pairings show actual thought, and Umakoshi’s involvement gives it a creative pedigree most collabs never get.

If you’ve never seen Ojamajo Doremi, this is a great excuse to start before October 25. If you grew up with it, bring tissues and a snack. And if you only know the detectives, go in expecting a love letter, because that’s what this looks like.

Mark the date. I certainly have.