History Anime / Ulysses31

He is accompanied in his quest by his teenage son Telemachus; Yumi (Themis in French) a blue-skinned alien girl with telepathic powers; and a toy robot named Nono.

* CollSword: Ulysses' lightsaber. The hilt can be used as a blaster.

* OldSchoolDogfighting

* [[CrapsackWorld Crapsack Universe]]: The Olympus is full of shipwrecks, empty giant cities and desolate worlds where the gods or other entities enjoy tormenting some unlucky humans endlessly.

* ShoutOut: To a good bunch of {{Space Opera}}s : ''TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey'', ''StarWars'', ''StarTrek''...

In the 31st century, spaceship commander Ulysses flies home from the Trojan War. On the way, he rescues his son and two Zotrian children by killing the Cyclops, angering Poseidon and the other Olympian gods who rule the universe. Zeus curses Ulysses by putting his crew in suspended animation and erasing the ship's memory files that contain Earth's location. He will now have to wander throughout space until he finds the realm of Hades, at which point his crew will be revived and he will be allowed to travel back to Earth.

In the 31st century, spaceship commander Ulysses flies home from the Trojan War. On the way, he rescues his son and a two Zotrian children by killing the Cyclops, angering the Olympian gods who rule the universe. Zeus curses Ulysses by putting his crew in suspended animation and erasing the ship's memory files that contain Earth's location. He will now have to wander throughout space until he finds the realm of Hades, at which point his crew will be revived and he will be allowed to travel back to Earth.

* InternationalCoproduction

* ShoutOut: To a good bunch of {{Space Opera}}s : ''2001ASpaceOdyssey'', ''StarWars'', ''StarTrek''...

* ShoutOut: To a good bunch of {{Space Opera}}s : ''StarWars'', ''StarTrek''...

In the 31st century, spaceship commander Ulysses flies home from the Trojan War. On the way, he rescues his son and a two enslaved children by killing the Cyclops, angering the Olympian gods who rule the universe. Zeus curses Ulysses by putting his crew in suspended animation and erasing the ship's memory files that contain Earth's location. He will now have to wander throughout space until he finds the realm of Hades, at which point his crew will be revived and he will be allowed to travel back to Earth.

In the 31st century, spaceship commander Ulysses flies home from the Trojan War. On the way, he rescues a group of enslaved children by killing the Cyclops, angering the Olympian gods who rule the universe. Zeus curses Ulysses by putting his crew in suspended animation and erasing the ship's memory files that contain Earth's location. He will now have to wander throughout space until he finds the realm of Hades, at which point his crew will be revived and he will be allowed to travel back to Earth.

* EarnYourHappyEnding

''Ulysses 31'' (originally titled ''Ulysse 31'' in France, 宇宙伝説ユリシーズ31 in Japan) is an anime series co-produced by TokyoMovieShinsha studios and the French company DICEntertainment. As the name implies, it is based on Homer's ''Literature/TheOdyssey'' (Ulysses being what the Romans called Odysseus) and heavily borrows plot elements from it.

* {{Leitmotif}}: The haunting [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9f1svEZJOw theme of the gods]], among others.

* SecretTestOfCharacter: [[spoiler:Upon finally reaching the Kingdom of Hades, Hades allows Ulysses to return to Earth...provided he leaves all his companions behind. When Ulysses refuses. Just as it seems that all is lost, it turns out this was the final trial of the gods and he is now free to return to Earth with all his crew.]]

* SecretTestOfCharacter: [[spoiler:Upon finally reaching the Kingdom of Hades, Hades allows Ulysses to return to Earth...provided he leaves all his companions behind. When Ulysses refuses, Hades [[TakenForGranite turns him to stone]]. Just as it seems that all is lost, Ulysses is restored; it turns out this was the final trial of the gods and he is now free to return to Earth with all his crew.]]

* EarnedYourHappyEnding

** Most episodes are based on ancient Greece stories, however only a few do allude to the Odyssey - and those that do, due to AdaptationDistillation, only bear a vague resemblance to the original. This actually appears very well when the cast is sent to the past, as although similar-looking and a good warrior, Future!Ulysses is far from being as bloodthirsty and sinister as his ancestor. Let's not forget that Odysseus was more well-known for his trickery than his courage in battle (though the guy was hailed as one of the best warriors of his time - this is the guy who probably came up with the original Trojan horse!).

** Since all Zotrians seen in the series have white hair, isn't that actually a subversion?

* CuteKidsAndRobots: There's only one adult in the whole show (apart from the unconscious Companions). The rest of the active cast comprises children, robots, and the ship's computer.