(french: link=no, Ulysse 31) is an

anime series is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening ...

(1981) that updates the

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the Cosmogony, origin and Cosmology#Metaphysical co ...

Odysseus Odysseus ( ; grc-gre, Ὀδυσσεύς, Ὀδυσεύς, OdysseúsOdyseús, ), also known by the Latin variant Ulysses ( , ; lat, UlyssesUlixes), is a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the ''Odyssey''. Odysse ...

(known as "Ulixes" or "Ulysses" in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

) to the 31st century. The show comprises 26 half-hour episodes as a co-production between

DIC Audiovisuel DIC Entertainment Corporation (; also known as DIC Audiovisuel, DIC Enterprises, DIC Animation City, DIC Entertainment, L.P., and DIC Productions), branded as The Incredible World of DIC, was an international film and television production comp ...

and

TMS Entertainment , formerly known as the , also known as or , is a Japanese animation studio established on October 22, 1946. TMS is one of the oldest and most famous anime studios in Japan, best known for numerous anime franchises such as ''Lupin the Third'', ...

Plot

The series (made by the French

Jean Chalopin Jean Chalopin (born 31 May 1950) is a French bank executive. During the 1980s and early 1990s, he produced a range of successful animated series, first as the founder and president of the production company DIC, then at his newly created compa ...

) follows the struggles of Ulysses and his crew against the divine entities that rule the universe, the ancient gods from

. The Gods of Olympus are angered when Ulysses, commander of the giant spaceship ''Odyssey'', kills the giant

Cyclops In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, the Cyclopes ( ; el, Κύκλωπες, ''Kýklōpes'', "Circle-eyes" or "Round-eyes"; singular Cyclops ; , ''Kýklōps'') are giant one-eyed creatures. Three groups of Cyclopes can be distinguish ...

to save a group of enslaved children, including his son.

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=Genitive case, genitive Aeolic Greek, Boeotian Aeolic and Doric Greek#Laconian, Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=Genitive case, genitive el, Δίας, ''D� ...

sentences Ulysses to travel the universe with his crew frozen until he finds the Kingdom of Hades, at which point his crew will be revived and he will be able to return to Earth. Along the way they encounter numerous other famous figures from Greek mythology who have been given a futuristic twist.

Main characters

* is the main character and captain of the ''Odyssey''. He achieved the solar peace and became the target of the Olympian gods' revenge. His weapon is a laser pistol that conceals an energy blade, complemented by an energy shield and a belt that allows him to fly. Ulysses is brave, noble, determined, and will stop at nothing to defeat the gods. * is the son of Ulysses and second in command for most of the voyage. He is Yumi's friend and protector. He is a skilled pilot, and his weapon is a high-tech slingshot. * is Thémis in the original French dub (after

Themis In Greek mythology and Ancient Greek religion, religion, Themis (; grc, Θέμις, Themis, justice, law, custom) is one of the twelve Titans, Titan children of Gaia and Uranus (mythology), Uranus, and the second wife of Zeus. She is the godde ...

the ancient Titan). A blue-skinned

humanoid A humanoid (; from English ''human'' and ''-oid'' "resembling") is a non-human entity with human form or characteristics. The earliest recorded use of the term, in 1870, referred to indigenous peoples in areas colonized by Europeans. By the 20t ...

alien girl from the white planet, Zotra, she is the younger sister of Numinor and possesses

telepathic Telepathy () is the purported vicarious transmission of information from one person's mind to another's without using any known human sensory channels or physical interaction. The term was first coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Frederic ...

powers. She is saved from being sacrificed to the Cyclops, along with Telemachus and her older brother, by Ulysses. She exhibits

telekinesis Psychokinesis (from grc, ψυχή, , soul and grc, κίνησις, , movement, label=ㅤ), or telekinesis (from grc, τηλε, , far off and grc, κίνησις, , movement, label=ㅤ), is a hypothetical psychic ability allowing a person ...

and is immune to fire. Although physically very frail, she is very intelligent and courageous. Zotrians, aside from blue skin, have snow-white hair, pointed ears, and slanted eyes with cat-like vertical pupils. * is Noumaïos in the original French dub. A Zotrian teenager and older brother of Yumi, he is saved by Ulysses from being sacrificed to the Cyclops. He is in suspended animation along with the rest of the crew for most of the series. His Japanese name Yumaiosu is the

katakana is a Japanese syllabary, one component of the Japanese writing system along with hiragana, kanji and in some cases the Latin script (known as rōmaji). The word ''katakana'' means "fragmentary kana", as the katakana characters are derived fr ...

orthography of English pronunciation of

Eumaeus In Greek mythology, Eumaeus (; Ancient Greek: Εὔμαιος ''Eumaios'' means 'searching well') was Odysseus' swineherd and friend. His father, Ktesios son of Ormenos was king of an island called Syra (present-day Syros in the Greek islands o ...

, the pig-guardian of Odysseus in Homer's poem. * is the small robotic companion of Telemachus. Fond of eating nuts and nails, he is a trusty friend who was given to Telemachus as a birthday present. He is skilled at machinery repair and possesses tremendous physical strength. * is the ''Odyssey''s main computer, with a deep female voice. * is the god of gods, persecutor of Ulysses. * is the god of the Seas, enraged by Ulysses's killing of his creature, the Cyclops. He wields a

trident A trident is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm. The trident is the weapon of Poseidon, or Neptune, the God of the Sea in classical mythology. The trident may occasionally be held by other marine ...

, the symbol of his power, and his servants pilot ships that are shaped like a trident. * is the ruling god of the Underworld. Ulysses must find his realm to find the way back to Earth.

Episodes

Pilot

In 1980, Telecom Animation,

, and DiC Audiovisuel produced a pilot for the series, simply titled "Ulysses 31". Although there was a Japanese VHS release of the series by King Records in 1986, the pilot never saw an official home release and was used for internal use only. The pilot has long been considered as only been recorded in Japanese, until a French searcher discovered a copy of the French version in July 2015, then a copy of the English-dubbed version in June 2022. The story is virtually identical to episode one of the finished series; however, the story was the only thing that was kept. Some characters underwent major redesigns from a typical anime design to the finished series, which is a mix of Japanese anime style and European art based on the appearance of classical Greek sculpture. Renowned Japanese illustrators and animators Shingo Araki and Michi Himeno, who have worked in anime adaptations of famous manga (such as

Masami Kurumada is a Japanese manga artist and writer, known for specializing in fighting manga featuring bishōnen and magical boy. He is the founder of the manga studio Kurumada Productions or Kurumadapro for short. He is famous as the creator/author of popu ...

's ''

Saint Seiya , also known as ''Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac'' or simply ''Knights of the Zodiac'' (translated from the French title ''Les Chevaliers du Zodiaque''), is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada. It ...

'', '' Fūma no Kojirō'', ''

Ring ni Kakero is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada. It was published in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' between January 1977 and October 1981. The individual chapters were compiled by Shueisha into twenty-five ''tankōbon'' volume ...

'',

Riyoko Ikeda is a Japanese manga artist and singer. She is included in the Year 24 Group, by some, although her status as one of them has been debated due to a focus more on epic stories than the internal psychology of those mangaka. She was one of the most ...

's '' Versailles no Bara'', and ''UFO Grendizer''

OVA , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...

) were responsible for the finished series' character designs, animation routines, and visual style.

Soundtrack

Most of the original soundtrack was composed by Denny Crockett and Ike Egan. Six additional themes were composed by

Shuki Levy Shuki Levy ( he, שוקי לוי; born June 3, 1947) is an Israeli-American music composer and television producer. Levy's best known work is soundtrack compositions for children's television programs of the 1980s, such as ''The Real Ghostbusters ...

and

Haim Saban Haim Saban (; he, חיים סבן; born October 15, 1944) is an Israeli-American media proprietor, investor, and producer of records, film, and television. A businessman with interests in financial services, entertainment, and media, and an e ...

: "Potpourri", "Final Glory", "Space Traffic", "Ulysse Meets Ulysse", "Mermaids", and "Change of Time (Theme of Chronos)". The Japanese version has a different soundtrack. The music was composed by Wakakusa Kei, who made the soundtrack in both the series and pilot that was produced in 1980. An official soundtrack was released in 1986 on vinyl and on CD in 1988 by King Records.

Japanese theme songs

* Opening : by Tomoaki Taka * Ending : by Tomoaki Taka

Cast

* Japan (original cast) ** Ulysses: Osamu Kobayashi ** Telemachus:

Yū Mizushima is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator. He is the Japanese voice-over for Sammo Hung, and is the Japanese voice of Wakko. In the 1980s, He proved to be a popular choice for many Japanese animation studios for the roles of male heart-thr ...

** Yumi:

Sumi Shimamoto , real name , is a Japanese actress, voice actress and narrator of film and anime and video games. After graduating from the Toho Gakuen College of Drama and Music, she joined Gekidan Seinenza, a theatrical acting troupe. She is currently indepen ...

** Nono:

Mayumi Tanaka (born January 15, 1955) is a Japanese actress, voice actress and narrator. She voiced Monkey D. Luffy in ''One Piece'', Ryunosuke Fujinami in ''Urusei Yatsura'', Koenma in ''Yu Yu Hakusho'', Pazu in '' Laputa: Castle in the Sky'', Krillin, Yajir ...

** Zeus: Shouzou Hirabayashi * Japan (1992 NHK BS-2 cast) ** Ulysses:

Masane Tsukayama is a Japanese actor, voice actor, and narrator from Naha, Okinawa. His wife is opera singer . He is best known for dubbing over Kevin Costner, Robert De Niro, Richard Gere, Liam Neeson and Gabriel Byrne. Filmography Film * ''Otoko wa Tsurai yo' ...

** Telemachus:

Nobuo Tobita is a Japanese voice actor and narrator from Ibaraki Prefecture. He is represented by Arts Vision. He is most known for the roles of Kamille Bidan (''Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam''), Albert Heinrich/004 (''Cyborg 009'' (2001)), and Sueo Maruo (''Chibi ...

** Yumi:

Akiko Yajima is a Japanese voice actress from Kashiwazaki, Niigata. Her best-known role is as the title character Shinnosuke Nohara in the long-running anime series '' Crayon Shin-chan''. She also voices Mipple in the original ''Futari wa Pretty Cure'', S ...

** Nono:

Miki Narahashi , professionally using the Hiragana , is a Japanese Voice acting in Japan, voice actress who works for Arts Vision. She was born in Tokyo. Notable voice roles *Masao Tachibana in Captain Tsubasa (1983) *Misae Nohara in Crayon Shin-chan (1992–p ...

** Zeus: Shouzou Hirabayashi * France (original cast) ** Ulysses:

Claude Giraud Claude Pierre Edmond Giraud (; 5 February 1936 in Chamalières – 3 November 2020) was a French actor. Career Claude Giraud studied with Tania Balachova at the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier; Berthe Bovy and Jean Meyer at the École de la rue Bla ...

** Yumi: Séverine Morisot ** Telemachus:

Fabrice Josso Fabrice Josso (born 11 February 1967) is a French actor who is specialized particularly in the dubbing industry. He is notable for his roles in Sans famille, ''Exploits of a Young Don Juan'' (1986) and '' Mune: Guardian of the Moon'' (2014). ...

/ Jackie Berger ** Nono: Jacques Ebner ** Shyrka: Évelyne Séléna / Sylvie Moreau ** Zeus:

Jean Topart Jean Topart (13 April 1922 – 29 December 2012) was a French actor. He was considered one of the best known voices on French television for decades. In addition to providing the voices and narration for television series and animated films, Topa ...

* English (original cast) ** Ulysses: Matt Birman ** Yumi: Anick Faris ** Telemachus:

Adrian Knight Adrian Knight is a Canadian actor who was the voice for the character Tao in the English-language version of the animated series ''The Mysterious Cities of Gold''. He also voiced Telemachus in the series ''Ulysses 31'', Pot the troll in the se ...

** Nono: Howard Ryshpan ** Shyrka: Kelly Ricard ** Zeus:

Vlasta Vrána Vlasta Vrána (born 1950), is a Canadian actor of Czech descent. Life and career Vrána, born to Czech parents in Norway, moved to Canada at age four. He made his feature-film debut in Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg's '' Shivers''. Vrána ...

Release

In the United States, the show was broadcast as a half-hour segment in the 1986 anthology series ''

Kideo TV ''Kideo TV'' was a syndicated anthology packaging by DIC Enterprises and LBS Communications, which premiered in April 1986. The show's name is a portmanteau of "kid" and "video". Hosts The show was hosted by four youths in auto racing attire wi ...

''. The entire series was released in English in a complete DVD box set in the UK released by Contender Entertainment, and in Australia by

Madman Entertainment Madman Entertainment Pty. Ltd., also known as Madman Films, is an Australian distribution and rights management company headquartered in East Melbourne, Victoria, specialising in feature films, documentaries and television series across theatri ...

. In the United States, one DVD titled ''Ulysses 31: The Mysteries of Time'' was released, containing only four selected episodes. The rights, like most of DIC's other programs, are owned by

WildBrain WildBrain Ltd. (formerly known as DHX Media, Ltd.) is a Canadian media, animation studio, production, and brand licensing company, mostly associated as an entertainment company. The company is known for owning the largest library of children' ...

, through its in-name-only unit,

Cookie Jar Entertainment Cookie Jar Entertainment Inc. (also known as Cookie Jar Group and originally known as CINAR; renamed as DHX Cookie Jar Inc. from 2012 until 2014, or simply just Cookie Jar) was a Canadian media production and distribution company owned by DHX ...

References

External links

*
TMS official website
{{Authority control 1981 anime television series debuts 1981 French television series debuts 1982 French television series endings 1980s French animated television series 1980s science fiction television series Adventure anime and manga First-run syndicated television programs in the United States French children's animated action television series French children's animated space adventure television series French children's animated drama television series French children's animated science fantasy television series Japanese children's animated action television series Japanese children's animated science fantasy television series Television series based on classical mythology Classical mythology in anime and manga Kideo TV Science fiction anime and manga Television series by DIC Entertainment Modern adaptations of the Odyssey Television shows based on the Odyssey TMS Entertainment Television series set in ancient Greece Television series created by Jean Chalopin