Hello everyone, we’ve got an article from Nao Touyama, the voice actress behind the seemingly infinitely popular Luluka Moria (or Ruruka Moria depending on who you ask) from Star Detective Precure! You may also know her better from her alter ego Cure Arcana Shadow!
Nao Touyama is no stranger to portraying super popular characters. She’s the voice behind Rin Shima in Yuru Camp, Chitoge Kirisaki in Nisekoi, Karen Kujou in Kinmoza, Nozomi Kanzaki in Sound! Euphonium and of course Doublas M2 from Robot Girls Z. She previously had a notable role in the Precure series, voicing Pafu in Go! Princess Precure.
In this article, she talks about how she came to end up voicing Luluka in the show and how not everything she says is as it seems…
You may also want to read the previous entry in this series which had Kaede Hondo’s CUREtto Resolution! Not because it leads into this or anything, but because it’s also a pretty good read!
Let’s hear it!
Translation by “nui”, Editing by me. Nao Touyama’s CUREtto Resolution! was originally published on asahi.com in June 2026. Original Link: https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASV6V21MBV6VUCVL042M.html
Are Cure Arcana Shadow’s words all true? The labyrinth Nao Touyama invites you to.
In our serial feature “CUREtto Resolution!”, the cast of the currently airing anime “Star Detective Precure!” (ABC TV / TV Asahi networks, Sunday’s at 8:30 AM) share their thoughts once a month.
For late June, we have Nao Touyama-san! She plays the mysterious girl Luluka Moria, as well as Cure Arcana Shadow, a Precure who also happens to be a member of the Phantom Thieves.
We asked her all about her journey back to the Precure franchise after voicing the fairy Pafu in “Go! Princess Precure” (which aired from 2015 to 2016).
Giving Myself a Gold Star This Year
In February of last year at my solo live show “The Invincible Setlist I Thought Up!“, I talked about two of my dreams. One was to hold a solo concert at the Nippon Budokan. For the other, I told the crowd, “I will let you know when it comes true.”
That second dream was wanting to become a Precure!
I honestly never planned on bringing it up like that. But as I was performing, hoping the audience would take home an “invincible” feeling, it felt like a lock just clicked open inside of me.
Up until then, I had auditioned for Precure roles multiple times and kept failing. It was so tough when it just wouldn’t lead to results. It got to the point where it was hard to even step into the supermarket candy aisle where the new Precure snacks are lined up every year…
There are very few projects that I hold such strong feelings for. Because there are auditions every year and you get multiple chances to try, your feelings just keep piling up like snow. That is both the hope and the heartbreak of the Precure series.
Having had the experience of playing the fairy Pafu in “Go! Princess Precure”, the Precure series is an absolute treasure to me. It is a precious work that let me truly experience youth.
It was heartbreaking to think about overwriting those precious memories with these bitter feelings. There was even a year where I took a break from auditioning altogether.
Even so, I decided to overcome the setback and chase the dream once more. I absolutely wanted to make it come true, so that the Precure franchise would always remain a warm and beloved memory for me.
Everyone brings what they consider their “best answer” to the auditions. This isn’t something you can just describe with simple words like “effort” or “sense”. I believe that the “tree rings” of experience you have accumulated over the years also show up in that space.
There were years when I was so nervous I couldn’t project my voice the way I wanted. But for the “Star Detective Precure!” audition, I felt like I was able to give it absolutely everything I had right now.
Series Director Kouji Kawasaki-san gave me a single comment: “That was wonderful.” At that moment, I felt that even if I didn’t pass, I wanted to give myself a gold star this year. When I got the call later saying I passed, I was incredibly happy!
Double-checking the Answers by watching it again?
Even though she is a Precure, she is part of the enemy side in the Phantom Thieves, and she is silent and mysterious. I really wanted Cure Arcana Shadow to be an intriguing presence for the kids watching, not a scary one.
Thinking about that, my acting settled into what it is now. When I listen back to my tape from the first round of auditions, my acting was heavier and darker. But influenced by her cute visuals, I started adding a sweet vibe with a bit of childishness remaining.
Luluka-chan eats a ton of ice cream, doesn’t she? It makes you feel a sense of closeness to her. With my own stomach, I think a double scoop is my absolute limit, but I find myself wanting to eat ice cream more often in my daily life now. I don’t stick to just one favorite flavor either; I eat all kinds of ice cream just like Luluka!
There is a gap between her cool side and her relatable, everyday girl side, which makes her almost unfairly cute. And Luluka is hiding something. The staff let me in on it, so I am acting with the knowledge of things that even the other cast members do not know yet.
One thing I can say is that she has a mission too.
I am constantly acting based on that mission, and I hope that the things oozing out even within her matter-of-fact tone will strike a chord with everyone.
Luluka has limited lines, and some scenes are just breathing. Sometimes a different nuance than the emotion I want to convey just slips out. Even with a single sigh, what is supposed to be a casual scene can end up sounding oddly sad.
When that happens, I ask for a retake myself, saying, “Please let me do that one more time.” I try to pay that much close attention to deliver delicate expressions in my acting.
The various things I am hinting at are only tiny clues at this point. If you watch “Star Detective Precure!” for the whole year, I definitely want you to watch it a second time around! I think that if you watch it knowing everything, you will be able to check the answers to everything I poured into my acting.
No Jumping to Conclusions!
On set, the cast members are always trying to deduce where the story is going, which puts me in a tough spot (laughs). They look really closely at my facial expressions! Whenever the topic turns to Cure Arcana Shadow or Cure Eclair, I stop talking completely and just listen.
Specifically, Yuuki Kaji-senpai (the voice of Jett-senpai), Emiri Katou-san (the voice of Pochitan), and Satoshi Hino-san (the voice of Usonoir) have all sorts of intense discussions. With the experience these senpai have, they expand their imaginations and create entirely new stories, which are so interesting I find myself thinking, “I want to watch that story too!”
Kaji-san is totally the type to fish for information (laughs). He even throws questions at the person playing the Cure Eclair candidate to gauge their reaction. Kato-san gently talks to me, saying, “Nao-chan, you don’t have to react, but will you listen to my deduction for a second?” and then shares her theories with me.
So far, though, no one has come up with the correct answer! Since I know the answer, my thoughts are pretty fixed, but the other cast members and the viewers are making deductions with such free imaginations. I am always excited listening to them, thinking, “Oh, if you pick up those meaningfully scattered hints like that, you can make that kind of deduction!”
Even from my perspective, I think figuring out the answer is pretty hard. There are hints and red herrings cleverly scattered throughout the story. I hope everyone carefully picks up the hints one by one without forgetting them.
Actually, sometimes Cure Arcana Shadow’s words have a little lie mixed in with the truth. That is why I always check with Series Director Kouji Kawasaki-san, confirming, “This part is a lie, and this part is true, right?” while acting.
So, you can’t just jump to conclusions, and you shouldn’t just swallow everything whole… maybe!
The mysteries in “Star Detective Precure!” are at a difficulty level that adults can enjoy too. I think it would be great if discussing it together while watching becomes a catalyst for communication.
What I Want to Convey Beyond the Dream
Being able to actually play a Precure like this, it feels like I am constantly living inside a dream. I thought a lot of wonderful things would be waiting for me if I became a Precure. Right now, I am walking that path, savoring every single wonderful thing.
I went to see a Precure stage show recently too. The kids wearing Precure costumes cheering “Do your best!” and “Precure!”, and the Precure dancing right in front of them… Every single one of those moments is a treasure to me, and I truly feel my dream has come true. I am so happy that this was the scenery I wanted to see.
I believe Luluka Moria and Cure Arcana Shadow are characters I will walk with for the rest of my life. That conviction grows stronger day by day.
The dream doesn’t end when it comes true; we keep living this dream and cross the finish line together. I think that is when you can say the dream has truly been realized.
Looking across the series, every Precure work has a clear message. I hope the message that “Star Detective Precure!” conveys becomes part of the kids’ foundational memories, something they can recall someday.
AI is advancing so rapidly, and there are more times when you think, “Look at this amazing video!” only to find out it was actually AI-generated. At this rate, over the next 10 years, it feels like it will get harder and harder to tell what is true and what is a lie, right?
Even though the world is getting more convenient, for some reason, people are getting busier and busier, and it feels like we are searching for answers we can grab quickly in our spare time. Because of that, we only touch surface-level information or stop making the effort to verify the source of information. I think that applies to me too, and it is a very dangerous thing.
Through the fun times that “Star Detective Precure!” delivers, I want to convey that finding answers yourself and verifying things with your own eyes and ears is so important.
Right now, various hints are scattered around, but they will surely lead to a big theme in the end. I want to walk alongside everyone and see for myself what kind of truth the story will ultimately reach.
Article Author: Takumi Terui
