Ulysses 31

In 1980, Telecom Animation, TMS Entertainment, and DiC Entertainment produced a pilot for the series, simply titled Ulysses 31. The pilot was released on VHS in Japan along with a couple of episodes by King Records in 1986. The pilot was only recorded in Japanese. The story is virtually identical to episode one of the finished series, however the story was the only thing that was kept. Although all the characters were kept, some underwent major redesigns from a typical anime design to the one seen in 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 Araki Shingo and Himeno Michi, who have worked in anime adaptations of famous manga, (e.g., Kurumada Masami's Saint Seiya, Fuuma no Kojirou and Ring ni Kakero, Ikeda Riyoko's Versailles no Bara, UFO Grendizer OVA) were responsible for the finished series' character designs, animation routines and visual style.