Chapter
1: かけめぐる青春 Kake meguru seishun (Young Love on the Run)
A young boy named Ataru Moroboshi is slapped in the face by his girlfriend Shinobu Miyake. A priest named Cherry warns him of his bad fortune, and when he goes home, he meets Lum, the beautiful oni princess. Ataru has been selected to play a game of tag with her and the world's fate hangs in the balance. Ataru defeats Lum, and proposes to Shinobu, but Lum believes he just asked her to marry him.
This is the first chapter of Takahashi's first ongoing serial. Urusei Yatsura begins while Takahashi is still in college. At this point Lum is planned as a one-off guest character. Ataru and Shinobu appear on the cover of Shonen Sunday alongside a piece by Go Nagai.
Urusei Yatsura, the title of the series means "obnoxious people." The sei in Urusei uses the kanji for "star".
The chapter title is the name of a song by "Beauty Pair" from 1976. The Beauty Pair were a professional wrestling tag team in addition to their singing abilities.
The Dappya Man alien identified as "Commentator Yamada" in this chapter is an in-joke character who first appeared in Takahashi's debut short story Those Selfish Aliens (勝手なやつら).
"Ogre's begone!" - Ataru is saying "Oni wa soto!" (鬼は外) which is part of the phrase "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" (鬼は外! 福は内!) a well-known Japanese phrase shouted during Setsubun, the first day of spring. Ataru is also throwing a bag of Fukumame beans in a wooden square ramequin at Lum's father. This is all a part of Mamemaki a children's activity that chases oni, or evil spirits out of the house.
The game of tag is called "onigokko" (鬼ごっこ), or "ogre's game." The person who is "it" is the oni/ogre. The wordplay on "tag" and "oni" in this chapter highlights the many puns in this series.
Ataru's father refers to butsumetsu (物滅) an extremely unlucky day according to the Japanese calendar.
Ataru's Jersey always has the number 4 on it. Four is considered an incredibly unlucky number in Japan as it is sounds just like shi (死) or death. Of course unlucky Ataru would be assigned this number for his jersey.
Japan's Prime Minister at the time, Takeo Fukuda makes an appearance in the story, pleading for Ataru to win his game of tag against Lum.
Fukuda offers to give Ataru the "People's Honor Award" (国民栄誉賞). An award that Fukuda himself established in 1977 to recognize people's contributions in sports, entertainment and other fields who have inspired Japaese society as a whole.
Obon, the Japanese Buddhis festival that honors the spirits of ancestors, occurs mid-July or mid-August depending on the region in Japan. It is believed that the spirits of one's ancestors visit home during this time.
In a tweet on May 18th, 2024 mangaka Atsuji Yamamoto (山本貴嗣) revealed that he drew the Oni UFO in this first chapter.
Rumiko Takahashi published the Golden Gods of Poverty (黄金の貧乏神) between this chapter and chapter 2 of Urusei Yatsura in Shonen Sunday Zokan.
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Interior Chapter Comment: This is Takahashi. Thanks to the support of the readers, I decided to draw on a sunny stage called serialization. I'm still worried because I don't know how my work will be read. We would appreciate it if you could give us your feedback. I just want to draw it for the rest of my life. Nice to meet you.
Chapter
2: やさしい悪魔 Yasashii akuma (Gentle Imp)
Cherry forcasts doom for Ataru once again, and that night a demon comes out of his mirror. The demon becomes trapped in our world, and begins to cause trouble. Finally Cherry banishes him, but a short time later dozens of other demons come out to visit the Moroboshi household.
The title page uses a playing card motif with each of the character's faces used surrounding the Mirror Demon.
This is one of the rare chapters that does not feature Lum at all. At this point Takahashi had not planned for her to return to the series.
Shinobu asks the Mirror Demon to put his deba (出刃) away. Deba means "knife" in Japanese, but it can also mean protruding teeth that stick out.
Cherry's outfit features a traditional monk's hat known as a sugegasa (菅笠). His outer robe is called a "kesa" (袈裟). The word comes from the original Sanskrit term for this outer robe- kasaya. The garment under the kesa is called the "jikitotsu" (直裰). The beads he carries with him are juzu (数珠).
In a spiritual sense, mirrors serve as reflectors, and when two mirrors face one another the spiritual energy they supposedly give off becomes unbalanced and allow for demons, spirits and other ghosts to use them as a portal to enter into a home. Two mirrors facing one another also has negative connotations in feng shui as well.
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Chapter
3: 悲しき雨音 Kanashiki amaoto (The Sad Sound of Rain)
At school Megane forces Ataru to try and summon Lum's UFO. They all join hands and chant, and suddenly are pulled into a flying saucer. Ataru tells the alien driver he wants to go home, and before they know it they arrive at the Moroboshi household. The UFO turns out to be a space taxi, and when Ataru can not pay the fare the alien begins to take all of Earth's oil. Lum agrees to pay the fare in exchange for getting to live with the Moroboshis.
This chapter also uses a song as the title. In this case the title comes from a song by the Cascades called "Rhythm of the Rain" (the Japanese title is the Japanese translation of the song's title).
"It's a second oil shock!" - The first oil crisis occurred in 1973 when OPEC led by Saudi Arabia proclaimed an oil embargo to target nations who supported Israel during the Yom Kippur War. It was later called the first "oil shock." This chapter was published on September 13, 1978, and the actual, real world "second oil shock" would occur in 1979, but was not caused by Ataru.
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Chapter
4: あなたにあげる Anata ni ageru (Present for You)
Ataru has run away from home hoping to escape from Lum. His picture is broadcast all over TV, and when he tries to keep from being identified, he runs straight into the bosom of a sickly woman named Sakura. Ataru takes Sakura home, where she tries to purify Ataru, but in the process all the demons that have been making her sick leave her for Ataru.
A trio of Rumiko Takahashi's pre-Urusei Yatsura characters appear in this chapter. A character walking down the street is one of the kidnappers from A Band of Young Ruffians (不良青年団) alongside Mifue Aobajou who would soon appear in a dojinshi of Takahashi's called Equation of Nirvana (涅槃の方程式). Another character who originated in Bye-Bye Road and will go on to feature in Equation of Nirvana is Spark Enjoji. Spark would become Takahashi's first recurring character as he appeared again in Bye Bye Road (バイバイロード). Spark will appear again in chapter 8.
The characters 中章 or "chuushou" that appear in this chapter indicate that Ataru is eating in a Chinese restaurant.
Sakura is a miko, a Shinto term that means shrine maiden or priestess.
Sakura's name means "cherry blossom" which of course, is a hint as to whom she turns out to be related to.
Reiki means "mysterious atmosphere," and this is what Sakura's mother calls the swirling energy that appears above them.
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Chapter
5: 絶体絶命 Zettai zetsumei (Between a Rock and a Hard Place)
Ataru angers Lum and she flies off to her UFO. Ataru decides to take advantage of Lum being away and goes to visit Shinobu. On his way over, he is struck by lightning, so he decides to disguise himself to prevent Lum from monitoring him from her ship. Lum spots him, and just as he reaches Shinobu, he winds up hugging Lum in all the confusion.
A number of songs have used the title of this chapter, though Takahashi most likely had in mind the song by Momoe Yamaguchi.
While Lum is laying around in Ataru's room a number of the books on the bookshelf has discernable titles. Most of them are novels by Yasutaka Tsutsui, one of Rumiko Takahashi's favorite authors. Some of the titles include Rumors About Me (おれに関する噂/Ore ni Kansuru Uwasa), Babbling Creation Chronicles (バブリング創世記/Baburingu Soseiki), African Bomb (アフリカの爆弾/Afurika no Bakudan) and A Bright Future (にぎやかな未来/Nigiyaka na Mirai). In 1993 Tsutsui wrote Paprika (パプリカ) which was eventually adapted into an anime film by Satoshi Kon.
There is a strangely named commentator in this chapter that the Viz translation refers to as Fuchioyakata Midoroga (ミドロが淵親方). In Japanese the name is made up of katakana (ミドロ/Midoro), hiragana (が/ga) and kanji (淵親方). This is actually a sumo shikona (四股名), a wrestler's in-ring name. A more accurate translation would be "Midorogafuchi, who is an oyakata" or "Oyakata Midorigafuchi." Oyakata (親方) is a title for a former sumo wrestler who has gone on to become a stablemaster. The Viz translation inaccurately conflated a sumo name, a title and then flopped them into Western order.
The sumo name (四股名/shikona) is a fictional one made up by Takahashi. However it follows the typical nomenclature of actual shikona. This name, Midorigafuchi is a reference to Midoro-ga-ike (深泥池), the name of a famous pond in the Kinki region. Takahashi changed "pond" (池) to "deep pool" (淵).
Additionally the katakana of "midoro" (ミドロ) is probably a quote from Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy (鉄腕アトム). The title of episode 34 of the anime is "Midori-ga-muma" (ミドロが沼). This is also a play on "Midoro-ga-ike"."pond" (沼), "deep pool" (淵) and "swamp" (池) all have meanings related to water. Thanks to Ryou for his assistance with this.
On a television sharp eyed readers can see the Maitreya Buddha from Shake Your Buddha (がんばり末世) singing one of his songs.
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Interior Chapter Comment: Thank you for all your support of the aliens, monsters, and fun friends who have appeared. I was worried about my first serialization, but it seems that I managed to give it a my all. We sincerely ask for your warm support for the next work.
Webmasters' Note: Chapter 5 was the end of the initial serialization, basically a "try out."
Chapter
6: 愛で殺したい Ai de koroshitai (To Kill With Love)
Cherry comes to bother Ataru some more, and outside a strange tiger-striped cow appears next to Shinobu. Suddenly the cow becomes a handsome boy named Rei. Rei is in love with Lum and seems to have a bottomless pit for a stomach, so Ataru and he decide to have an eating contest. Ataru emerges the victor, and Rei seeks comfort in Mrs. Moroboshi's arms.
Following the theme of these first few chapters, this chapter title is taken from the song of the same name by サーカス (Circus) from 1978.
The kanji character kyo (凶) in Cherry's soup literally spells "doom".
Ataru is holding various manga including Urusei Yatsura in this chapter. The other named manga is Dekin Boy (できんボーイ) by Shin Tamura. It was running in Shonen Sunday beginning in 1976. Dekin Boy is the origin of the "chudon" sound effect that Rumiko Takahashi has used throughout her career.
Lum is shown sitting in Ataru's room and numerous books can be seen on his shelves behind her, including on the top shelf: Ishi no Ketsumyaku (石の血脈/Blood Ties to a Stone) by Ryo Hanmura. On the middle shelf from right to left: The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie, After the Funeral by Agatha Christie, The A.B.C Murders by Agatha Christie, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie, A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie, Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie, Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie, The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie. On the bottom shelf from right to left: Fukkatsu no Hi (復活の日/Virus) by Sakyo Komatsu, Nihon apatchi zoku (日本アパッチ族/Japanese Apache) by Sakyo Komatsu, Nippon chinbotsu (日本沈没/Japan Sinks) by Sakyo Komatsu, Hateshinaki nagare no hate ni (果てしなき流れの果てに/At the End of the Endless Flow) by Sakyo Komatsu, Mishiranu asu (見知らぬ明日/An Unknown Tomorrow) by Sakyo Komatsu, Mienai Kage (見えない影) and Gosenzosama baba (御先祖様万々) the final two of which we cannot identify.
Cherry is keeping score by writing the kanji (正), which is made up of five strokes. Each stroke counts as one point, or in this case, one sweet potato eaten.
In the empty lot where Cherry spends so much time readers can see pipes stacked up. These are known as dokan (土管). Dokan can be seen frequently in manga and anime, most prominently in Doraemon (ドラえもん) as a playground for Nobita and his friends. Dokan are leftover sewer pipes from the construction boom after the post-World War II Japanese Economic Miracle. They also served as the inspiration for the warp pipes in Super Mario Bros..
Between this chapters release and chapter 7, Rumiko Takahashi would publish her dojinshi, A Band of Young Ruffians (不良青年団) and four chapters of Dust Spot!! (ダストスパート!!).
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Chapter
7: 憎みきれないろくでなし Nikumi kirenai roku de nashi (A Compatible Good-for-Nothing)
Rei has lunch with Ataru, Megane, Chibi and Kakugari but the conversation soon turns to Lum. Rei gets angry and Lum arrives which does not help matters. After the boys insult Rei's poor Japanese he flies into a rage and chases them throughout town. When they finally make it home, the townspeople arrive demanding payment for the damages and the women arrive to ask Rei out.
As they taunt Rei, Kakugari, Megane and Chibi perform the "three wise monkeys" pose of "see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil."
Rei's way of proposing is actually fairly normal within Japan and is based on the phrase "Mainichi miso suupu o tsukutte kure" (毎日味噌スープを作ってくれ) which translates to "Will you make me miso soup everyday?"
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Interior Chapter Comment: I am full of renewed motivation to work onUrusei Yatsura again for the readers. If I can't draw it all at once, I'll come up with new ideas in the meantime, and I'm going to do my best. But, it's the busy season at the women's college I go to. Thank you for your support.
Chapter
8: いい日旅立ち Ii hi tabidachi (Good Day for a Departure)
Cherry tells Ataru he will never see him again, which makes Ataru think Cherry is leaving. It turns out Ataru is the one leaving as Lum takes him to the annual competition of the Oni versus the Gods. Ataru meets Benten during the event but his girl-chasing causes the Oni to lose the match.
Rumiko Takahashi's pre-Urusei Yatsura character, Spark Enjoji from Equation of Nirvana (涅槃の方程式) and Bye Bye Road (バイバイロード) appears in this chapter walking down the street. Spark previously appeared in chapter 4.
Nanmaida is short for "Namu Amida Butsu" (南無阿弥陀仏）. It's a common phrase used at the beginning of Buddhist prayers andchants, meaning "I sincerely believe in Amita Buddha."
The celebratory dish Ataru is referring to is sekihan (赤飯), which is made of sticky rice and read beans.
Sukiyaki (すき焼き) is a stew of thinly sliced beef and vegetables that is cooked on a table-top stove.
The sign on the middle oni's belly is otoko ippiki (男一匹) which means "shining example of a man."
The game that the Lucky Gods (Benten's team) and the Oni (Lum's team) are playing is called tamaire (玉入れ) and is the most famous game of Sports Festivals in Japanese elementary schools.
Segaki (施餓鬼) is a Japanese Buddhist ritual that translates as "feeding the hungry ghosts". When someone dies if their karma is at the lowest level they are reincarnated as "hungry ghosts" (餓鬼/gaki) creatures that live on dead skin flakes and ear wax of the living. Jikininki (ghosts that eat humans) and muenbotoke (deceased spirits that have no living relatives to make offerings on their behalf) are also placated by the segaki rituals.
The poster that Cherry is saying his prayer in front of is a "mandala" (曼陀羅) a symbolic map of the Buddhist cosmos. However Cherry's mandala is replaced with images of various sukiyaki ingredients. His is also oriented more like a board game.
Matsusaka beef (松阪牛) is considered to be the finest beef in Japan.
The bean tossing the oni do to punish Ataru is a call back to the same Setsubun ritual that Ataru performed when he first met Lum's father in chapter 1.
In the Setsubun battle Santa Claus fights for Benten's team.
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Chapter
9: 大勝負の巻 Dai shobu no maki (Showdown)
Ataru's parents leave for a short vacation and Lum tries to cook for Ataru. Suddenly tiny spaceships fly out and start causing havoc. Cherry and Sakura arrive to help, but their guardian spirts start arguing and cause more problems. Finally the aliens that were playing with the ships arrive and turn them off, but the damage has already been done.
Mr. and Mrs. Moroboshi stay at at a place known as Kuzu (国栖) Inn. These are a people of ancient Japan who lived along the Yoshino River in the Nara prefecture.
The word game that Cherry and Sakura are playing is shiritori (しりとり) where each player must say a word that begins with the final syllable of the last word said.
According to Takahashi's editor Shigeo Kubota, the original logo for the Urusei Yatsura tankoban was designed by Ikunobu Akamatsu (赤松育延氏) who designed many Shogakukan manga logos from the 1960s through the 1980s including Obake no Q-taro, Doraemon and Ushio and Tora.
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Interior Chapter Comment: These are the first color pages I've drawn since my debut and it's 20 pages!!! In the beginning I was struggling, and really surprised, but it got better and by the time it was finished I thought it was a lot of fun. I hope the readers will enjoy it too.
