Higashi Setsuna


 * "Cure Passion" redirects here. For the Fresh Pretty Cure!-character who was speculated for being Cure Passion, please see Chinen Miyuki.

Higashi Setsuna is a young girl who appears to be in her late teens. She works for Labyrinth until episode 23, and is the first of the original three members to appear, as well as the only female of the group. Though she has recently appeared as Cure Passion, she has just joined the other girls. Her Pickrun, the Akarun, has a ribbon and wings.

Story
Eas first meets Momozono Love while working at the Labyrinth fortune-telling house. She, disguised as Setsuna at the time, tells Love that she will soon "encounter great happiness." Later on, Eas disrupts the Trinity concert where Love is in by summoning a Nakewameke that attacks Chinen Miyuki, the leader of the dance trio. However, Eas then witnesses that Love gains the ability to transform into Cure Peach and defeat the monster. Eas retreats into the shadows, stating with a cold laugh that she was sure they would meet again.

Eas, now as Setsuna, finds Love playing Lucky Draw in town and asks her for a tour of the town. During and after the tour, she tries to steal Love's Linkrun. After the repeated failures, Setsuna receives a clover necklace from Love, which is just an item to show she is friendly at first. Setsuna and Love meet again later, this time with Miki and Inori with her. During a get-together, Setsuna tries once again to steal Love's Linkrun, but when it reacts, she puts it down.

Moebius begins to realize that something is hindering Setsuna, as Eas, from eliminating Pretty Cure, so he gives her the Nakisakebe cards. Upon using it, thorny, black vines dig into her skin. It is not until Pretty Cure defeat it after a hard battle that she is saved. The third time the card is used, the Akarun is spotted in town, but has a hard time choosing its master. The vines fully bind her, but the Nakisakebe is defeated, stopping any further damage.

Souler talks to Eas after the third defeat, because Moebius has given her one last chance to defeat Pretty Cure. During the fourth Nakisakebe attack, Cure Peach encounters Eas. Setsuna reveals her human identity and breaks the clover necklace. After a final battle between her and Cure Peach, Eas' body dies due to her life being offered. She, however is saved by Love and the Akarun, giving her a new form: Cure Passion. Although Love accepts her immediately, she walks away, conflicted on what to do.

Setsuna has realized that now that Labyrinth has kicked her out, she has no place to go. While wandering the streets, she meets Love and her family, who are going to a restaurant to eat. Love convinces her to join and Setsuna begins to enjoy herself more. Wester, wanting to confirm Eas has switched sides and possibly get her back, attacks the restaurant with a tower turned Nakewameke. Cure Peach first confronts the menace on her own, but then Setsuna, realizing that she has felt more happy spending time with Love, becomes Cure Passion and uses Happiness Hurricane to purify the Nakewameke. Love's mother offers to let Setsuna stay in their house, to which she accepts.

Although Setsuna is adapting to the society of a normal girl, she is still haunted by her past deeds as Eas everywhere she goes. However, she is backed up by the rest of Pretty Cure, and when a Nakewameke representing Eas, attacks the girls, she confronts the fake and defeats her with the girls, putting her past to rest. She later on feels that she should start dancing with the girls, becoming a part of their dancing group Clover, and although she hesitates, she gets help from Inori.

Setsuna transfers to Love's school. She proves to be quite capable and hard working, answering math problems correctly and playing sports well. This gathers the attention of a lot of fans, and she becomes popular, to Daisuke's dismay. After Wester turns a pitching machine into a Nakewameke, Cure Berry uses the Blun to change the group uniforms. Setsuna gets a home run, and all four finish off the Nakewameke.

Personality
Setsuna starts out as a cold and isolated girl, loyal only to Moebius. When she, as Setsuna, meets Love, Love's nature makes her slightly open up to the girls. She does have a stubborn mind, however, as she refuses to accept the fact that she has weaknesses. This is shown every time Souler or Wester asks her about Pretty Cure after losing to them, in which she throws small fits and leaves, usually thinking that she will be the one defeating Pretty Cure. After switching side, she seems to have lost most of her stubborn mind, and is typically sweet and reserved, though her nature may be due to naivete and guilt.

Relationships
Eas was only loyal to Moebius at first and only follows his commands, which may often be seen as an obsession. Although the Nakisakebe card is taking away her life, she is still grateful that Moebius has entrusted her the card, and is willing to sacrifice her life to use it. Souler has also noted that, although Eas has become Higashi Setsuna, she still cannot live without him, a fact that may become a burning point later.

Wester is the one most concerned about Setsuna, as he tried to get her back on their side after she became a part of Pretty Cure, though Setsuna thinks that he only wants her back because of the new power she now possesses as a Cure. Especially after witnessing him attacking the citizens, she gains a antagonistic relationship toward him.

Eas, in order to spy on Pretty Cure, uses her Setsuna Higashi form to get closer to them, specifically Love. Though she in the beginning only viewed them as a mean to fulfill her mission, she develops a friendship with Love, which also begins making her open up.

Eas
"I am Eas, denizen of Labyrinth, and faithful servant of Lord Moebius!" Eas is the original part of Setsuna, and the one that represents her past as a Labyrinth member. Eas was very stubborn and had a great part of pride, refusing to admit defeat to her partners or let them help her. When meeting Cure Peach the first time, Eas swore to be her enemy by telling that they would meet again. Since then, Eas tried her best to defeat Pretty Cure, and in the end, asked Moebius for his help. At her last days, she was given the Nakisakebe cards, since it was obvious that Pretty Cure were getting stronger.

When Eas' body died and her life energy was sacrificed for Labyrinth's goal, Akarun was summoned by Chiffon and entered her body, causing it to be revived as Cure Passion's. After this, it does not seem like Setsuna can become Eas anymore, though she herself has decided that she will never again be helping Labyrinth, so it is not known if she lost the ability or just does not want to transform.

Cure Passion
"The scarlet heart is the proof of happiness. Freshly-ripened fresh, Cure Passion!" 真っ赤なのハートは幸せの証. うれたてフレッシュ、キュアパッション！ "Maaka no haato wa shiawase no akashi. Uretate furesshu, Kyua Passhon!" Cure Passion (キュアパッション) did not appear until episode 23. In order to find out who she was, the other girls had to find the Akarun. Cure Passion's theme color is red and is possibly the strongest of Pretty Cure. Cure Passion can use the attack Happiness Hurricane, and, unlike the other Cures, does not need to get to know Chiffon better in order to summon Akarun and the Passion Harp, though she does not yet have any Fresh upgrade, even if her normal attack is considered equal to said upgrade.

Etymology
Setsuna is the Japanese word for "moment". This may be directed toward the moment Eas died and was reborn as Cure Passion.

Higashi is the Japanese word for "east", though with different characters can also mean "candy" or "cookies". "East" is directed toward her Labyrinth self, which also is named after the same cardinal direction. Higashi is also used to refer to several places in Japan.

Cure Passion, as passion fruit, is the alternative name of the fruit passiflora edulis, following the Cure name pattern for Fresh Pretty Cure!.

Eas comes from the word "east". She, like Souler and Wester, is named after the four cardinal directions of the compass. So far, there is no specific reason for the chosen direction she was named after.

Trivia

 * Now that Setsuna lives with the Momozono family, it is possible that they will become her foster family.
 * So far in the Pretty Cure series' history, Setsuna differs from her Pretty Cure form the most, followed by Love. It should also be noted that all her forms (Higashi Setsuna, Eas and Cure Passion) differ from each other.
 * Out of Pretty Cure in Fresh Pretty Cure!, Cure Passion is the one who resembles the original Pretty Cure the most. This fact may be the reason Akarun has a ribbon; the ribbons used to be one of the original Pretty Cure's trademarks.
 * Some people consider the clothes of Cure Passion's upper level to be inspired from Cure White, while her lower level is inspired from Cure Black.
 * Cure Passion's suit symbol has not been seen, though stars has been presented when Akarun summons the Passion Harp. However, as the three others from Pretty Cure uses the suit symbols heart, spade and diamond, many believe that Cure Passion's symbol is the club.
 * Cure Passion is the only Cure in Fresh Pretty Cure! who does not introduce her heart's color in English; instead she says maata (真っ赤な), which is translated to "deep red" or "scarlet".
 * It should also be noted that she is the only one who does not say "the symbol of" (の表号), but rather "the proof of" (の証). It is a possibility that it is a pun toward her color theme, as the "aka" is pronounced, though not written, like the Japanese word "aka" (赤), which means "red".
 * Coincidentally, Cure Passion's color theme, red, is the same as Cure Rouge, who is the Cure of Passion; though Cure Rouge represents the emotion passion, while Cure Passion's name is from the passion fruit.
 * Eas is the only true antagonist to become a part of Pretty Cure, beside the Kiriyu sisters from Futari wa Pretty Cure Splash Star, where it is unknown if they stayed as Cures.
 * Eas is the only Labyrinth member any of the Pretty Cures did not receive a Cure Stick from Chiffon while fighting a Nakewameke. However, she was the villain of the day when the three first Pretty Cure members received their powers.