Urusei Yatsura was adapted into an animated TV series consisting of 194 half-hour episodes and two specials. The manga was also spun into several movies and OVAs. The TV series was produced by Kitty Films and Fuji TV, and it aired on Fuji's Wednesday 7:30-8:00 PM timeslot from October 14, 1981, to March 19, 1986,[1] mostly airing after Dr. Slump - Arale-chan. The anime was replaced by the anime adaptation of Maison Ikkoku by the end of its run.
Each episode of the TV series without the opening and closing songs, as well as the eye catches and the previews, are about 22 minutes approximate, except for Episode 21.5 which is about 40 minutes at least. Episodes up until the 21st episode, though, would feature two half-length segments. The 10th and 11th episodes, though, are full-length episodes. Episode 21.5 consists of two segments as well with the first one being 22 minutes and the other being 18 minutes and 30 seconds long.
During 1992, the series was licensed for a North American release by AnimEigo. Their VHS release began in October of the same year and was among the first anime titles to receive a subtitled North American release. However, the release schedule was erratic. The episodes were also released on LaserDisc in 1993. The first two episodes were released with an English dub on March 29, 1995 as Those Obnoxious Aliens. An earlier English dub, entitled Cosma the Invader Girl, was custom created and aired in Alaska in the late 1980s as mentioned before but unconfirmed. Anime Projects released the series in the United Kingdom from April 25, 1994. AnimEigo later released the series on DVD. The series was available in box set format as well as individual releases. A total of 10 boxed sets and 50 individual DVDs were released between March 27, 2001 and June 20, 2006. Each DVD and VHS contained Liner notes explaining the cultural references and puns from the series. A fan group known as "Lum's Stormtroopers" convinced the Californian public television station KTEH to broadcast subtitled episodes of the series in 1998. AnimeEigo's license later expired, and has confirmed that the series is out of print as of September 2011. An improvisational dub of the first and third episodes was broadcast on BBC Choice in 2000 as part of a "Japan Night" special as "Lum the Invader Girl". The anime was distributed in south-east Asia on Animax Asia as Alien Musibat. Several dubs exist.[2][3] One of them is the animax dub, which is mentioned on the Animax Asia website as early as 2004.[4][5][6]
The movies were originally made in an open-matte format, but they were cropped when they were released to theaters. Some home video releases contain the open-matte versions.
A second animated TV series adaptation, ordered for 46 episodes, premiered on Fuji TV's Noitamina programming block on October 14, 2022, replacing the first season of Call of the Night in its timeslot. Fuji-owned studio David Production animates the series. The first season ended on March 24, 2023, and the second season premiered on January 12, 2024. During the hiatus, Ranking of Kings: The Treasure Chest of Courage and the first season of the 2023 adaptation of Rurouni Kenshin took the anime's timeslot. The series concluded on June 21, 2024, with Senpai Is an Otokonoko replacing it in its timeslot. Sentai Filmworks licensed the series for an English release and home video and also streamed the series on HIDIVE.
List of Episodes[]
TV Episodes/Movies[]
The episodes have been split according to their opening and ending themes. Titles in bold refer to episodes that have stories not told in the manga or are clip shows. At the same time, asterisks refer to episodes that still adapt chapters from the manga but also have content that is exclusive to the anime. The TV series adapts up to volume 29 of the manga.
TV Episodes 1-21.5[]
- TV episode themes
- Opening Theme: Lum no Love Song
- Ending Theme: Uchuu wa Taihen da!
TV Episodes 22-43[]
- TV episode themes
- Opening Theme: Lum no Love Song
- Ending Theme: Kokorobosoi na
| # | Title | First Aired |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | The Great Space Marriage Plan | 7 April 1982 |
| 23 | The Spring Blossom Picnic | 14 April 1982 |
| 24 | Beware the Earmuffs! | 21 April 1982 |
| 25 | Fly, Imo-Chan! | 28 April 1982 |
| 26 | Ten-chan's Love | 5 May 1982 |
| 27 | What a Dracula! | 12 May 1982 |
| 28 | Lum's Educational Therapy for Little Boys | 19 May 1982 |
| 29 | From Speechless With Love | 26 May 1982 |
| 30 | The Beautiful Maiden Comes With the Rain | 2 June 1982 |
| 31 | Give Me Back My Horn! | 9 June 1982 |
| 32 | All Quiet at the Library! | 16 June 1982 |
| 33 | Teacher Hanawa's Arrival! Such is Youth! | 23 June 1982 |
| 34 | Goblin in Distress - Yearning for People | 30 June 1982 |
| 35 | Darling's Had it This Time! | 14 July 1982 |
| 36 | Rei's Return! Crisis in the Classroom! | 21 July 1982 |
| 37 | Appearance of the Red Phantom! | 28 July 1982 |
| 38 | Steal Darling! The Copy Operation!! | 4 August 1982 |
| 39 | Pitter-Patter, Summer Date | 11 August 1982 |
| 40 | So Long, Bye Bye, Summer Days | 18 August 1982 |
| 41 | Panic in a Typhoon! | 1 September 1982 |
| 42 | Drunken Boogie | 8 September 1982 |
| 43 | The Terror of Meow | 22 September 1982 |
TV Episodes 44-54[]
- TV episode themes
- Opening Theme: Lum no Love Song
- Ending Theme: Hoshizora Cycling
| # | Title | First Aired |
|---|---|---|
| 44 | After You've Gone | 13 October 1982 |
| 45 | Lum-chan's Class Party | 20 October 1982 |
| 46 | Lunch is a Battlefield! | 27 October 1982 |
| 47 | Shiver! Mystery in the Odd of Fossil Land | 3 November 1982 |
| 48 | Princess Kurama - A New Challenge! | 10 November 1982 |
| 49 | The Terrifying Cavity WARS! | 17 November 1982 |
| 50 | The Mendō Siblings! | 24 November 1982 |
| 51 | A Cat with a Grudge on the Stairs | 1 December 1982 |
| 52 | Can the Racoon Return the Favor!? | 8 December 1982 |
| 53 | Desperate Sub-Space Part Time Job* | 15 December 1982 |
| 54 | Lum-chan's Great Year End Celebration! | 22 December 1982 |
TV Episodes 55-77/Movie[]
- TV episode themes
- Opening Theme: Lum no Love Song
- Ending Theme: I, I, You and Ai
NOTE: Newer prints of of episodes 65-77 used the third ending theme.
TV Episodes 78-106/Movie[]
- TV episode themes
- Opening Theme: Dancing Star
- Ending Theme: Yume Wa Love Me More
TV Episodes 107-127[]
- TV episode themes
- Opening Theme: Pajama Jama da!
- Ending Theme: Koi no Mobius
TV Episodes 128-149/Movie[]
- TV episode themes
- Opening Theme: Chance on Love
- Ending Theme: Open Invitation
TV Episodes 150-165[]
- TV episode themes
- Opening Theme: Rock the Planet
- Ending Theme: Every Day
TV Episodes 166-194/Movie[]
- TV episode themes
- Opening Theme: Tonogata Gomen Asobase
- Ending Theme: Good Luck
OVAs/Movies[]
| # | Title | First Released |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryōko's September Tea Party | 24 September 1985 |
| 2 | Memorial Album I'm Shū-chan | 15 September 1986 |
| 3 | Inaba the Dream Maker | 18 July 1987 |
| Movie: Urusei Yatsura: The Final Chapter | 6 February 1988 | |
| 4 | Rage! Sherbert! | 8 August 1988 |
| 5 | Nagisa's Fiance | 8 December 1988 |
| 6 | The Electric Household Guard | 21 August 1989 |
| 7 | I Howl at the Moon | 1 September 1989 |
| 8 | Goat and Cheese | 21 December 1989 |
| 9 | Catch the Heart | 27 December 1989 |
| 10 | Terror of the Girly-eyes Measles | 21 June 1991 |
| 11 | Date with a Spirit | 21 June 1991 |
| Movie: Urusei Yatsura: Always My Darling | 2 November 1991 | |
| 12 | The Obstacle Course Swim Meet | 23 December 2008 |
Other Media[]
| # | Title | First Released |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | UY Video Special | March 1983 |
| 2 | Love Me More | 25 July 1983 |
| 3 | Chance on Love | 1 December 1984 |
| 4 | TV Titles | 25 September 1985 |
| 5 | Making of "Lum the Forever" | 15 February 1986 |
| 6 | Fan Conversation Live '86 | June 1986 |
| 7 | Symphony Kaisou Urusei Yatsura | 21 July 1988 |
| 8 | We Meet Again, Preview Collection | 21 July 1988 |
| 9 | UY Karaoke Music Party | November 1989 |
| 10 | 10th Anniversary | December 1991 |
| 11 | Music Calendar '94 | December 1993 |
Episodes 1-11[]
- Episode themes
- Opening Theme: AIUE
- Ending Theme: Tokyo Shandy Rendezvous
| # | Title | First Released |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Young Love on the Run / Between a Rock and a Hard Place | October 14, 2022 |
| 2 | Present for You / Yellow Ribbon of Happiness | October 21, 2022 |
| 3 | Trouble Rains Down!! / Amazed in a Maze | October 28, 2022 |
| 4 | Sealed with a Kiss!! | November 4, 2022 |
| 5 | The Glove of Love and Conflict / How I've Waited for You… | November 11, 2022 |
| 6 | Good Day for a Departure / Oyuki / Ataru Retires | November 18, 2022 |
| 7 | Home is Where you Find it / Marine Garbage Disposal | November 25, 2022 |
| 8 | Transfer Student, Close Call / Farewell Party Close Call | December 2, 2022 |
| 9 | To Kill with Love / Studying Mayhem | December 9, 2022 |
| 10 | Parents' Day Horrors / Since Your Parting | December 16, 2022 |
| 11 | Mendō Siblings!! / A Strange New Year at the Mendō Estate | December 22, 2022 |
Episodes 12-23[]
- Episode themes
- Opening Theme: Aiwanamuchū
- Ending Theme: Aitarinai
| # | Title | First Released |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Ten is Here / A Date for Just the Two of Us | January 5, 2023 |
| 13 | The Great Off-Campus Snack Battle / A Gift from Ten!! | January 12, 2023 |
| 14 | That Mizunokōji Boy / Love Letter Trouble | January 19, 2023 |
| 15 | Anko Pathos, the Taste of Love!? / Memories and a close call... / Adverse Effects | January 26, 2023 |
| 16 | Family Feud!! / Hello, Sailor Suit!! | February 2, 2023 |
| 17 | A Chest Full of Longing!! / Wish Upon a Star | February 9, 2023 |
| 18 | Indelible Lipstick Magic!! / Lethal Attacks! Yaminabe | February 16, 2023 |
| 19 | Magic Realm! Jungle of Terror / Pickled | February 23, 2023 |
| 20 | Recovering That Which Was Lost | March 2, 2023 |
| 21 | Cosmo Teacher CAO-2/Ooh, Scary! Voodoo Doll | March 9, 2023 |
| 22 | Big Bottle, Small Bottle / When Love Strikes | March 16, 2023 |
| 23 | The Tomo-1 Queen Contest | March 23, 2023 |
Episodes 24-35[]
- Episode themes
- Opening Theme: Rock On
- Ending Theme: Kaminarizakura
| # | Title | First Released |
|---|---|---|
| 24 | Fantasy Bubble Gum / Love Knows No Barriers | January 11, 2024 |
| 25 | Trickle of Memories?! / Album of Memories / The Home Visits Blues: Feuding Fujinami Edition | January 18, 2024 |
| 26 | Electric Jungle | January 25, 2024 |
| 27 | Lover Thief / That Mizunokoji Girl | February 1, 2024 |
| 28 | The Continuation of: That Mizunokoji Girl | February 8, 2024 |
| 29 | Kotatsu Love / Lum Becomes a Cow / The Home Visits Blues: Luxurious Mendo Edition | February 15, 2024 |
| 30 | Eerie Earmuffs / Intention | February 22, 2024 |
| 31 | Open the Door (Part 1) | February 29, 2024 |
| 32 | Open the Door (Part 2) / The Home Visit Blues: Prohibitive Miyake Edition | March 7, 2024 |
| 33 | Haunted Mendo / Last Date | March 14, 2024 |
| 34 | The Case of the Battered Principal / The Secret Flower Garden / The Home Visits Blues: Hellish Moroboshi Edition | March 21, 2024 |
| 35 | L♥ve—Darling in Danger / Foxes in the Moonlight / The Home Visits Blues: Mark Onsen Goes to Space | March 28, 2024 |
Episodes 36-46[]
- Episode themes
- Opening Theme: By My Darling
- Ending Theme: Haru Magai
| # | Title | First Released |
|---|---|---|
| 36 | Wretched Shūtarō!! | April 11, 2024 |
| 37 | Asuka Returns! / A Stormy Date | April 18, 2024 |
| 38 | The Continuation of: A Stormy Date | April 25, 2024 |
| 39 | Nagisa's Fiancé / The Fairy's Parasol | May 2, 2024 |
| 40 | One Night's Battle / Deadly Peril in the Classroom | May 9, 2024 |
| 41 | Flower Petals of Love and Courage | May 16, 2024 |
| 42 | Lum's Wrath / Steal My Heart | May 23, 2024 |
| 43 | Boy Meets Girl: The Morning of Separation | May 30, 2024 |
| 44 | Boy Meets Girl: Are You Really Getting Married? | June 6, 2024 |
| 45 | Boy Meets Girl: Crooked Heart | June 13, 2024 |
| 46 | Boy Meets Girl: I Want You When I Can't Have You | June 20. 2024 |
Gallery[]
