The series was made in 1981 as a co-production between the French company DIC and the Japanese company TMS (Tokyo Movie Shinsha) in collaboration with the television channels FR3 and RTL. It's based on the book 'The Odyssey' by Homer, except the setting is changed from ancient Greece to the 31st century.

Jean Chalopin wrote and produced the series, and came up with the original idea together with Nina Wolmark. The music was composed and arranged by Denny Crokett and Ike Egan at Osmond Studio. Most of the animation work was done by Japanese animaters, but not in the traditional Japanese manga style. 'Ulysses 31' had a unique look that in my view has never been outdone or equaled by any later animated sci-fi show.


The story starts when Ulysses is about to leave a spacestation orbiting the planet Troy. He has to return to earth before the next comet passes. If he is not back by then, his wife Penelope will have to remarry. The trip home turns out to be far from routine though. Early on his son Telemachus is kidnapped by worshippers of the mighty Cyclops, a creature made by the ancient god of Poseidon.

Ulysses and Telemachus' pet robot Nono frees him and two other prisoners called Yumi and Numinor. In the process they kill the Cyclops and angers the gods. Poseidon calls upon Zeus to punish them. He transfers them to the far reaches of space, deletes their databanks and tells them that their only hope of ever seeing earth again is to find the kingdom of Hades. And here their quest begins.