Takahashi said that she had been dreaming about the overall universe of "Urusei Yatsura" since she was very young. She said that the series "really includes everything I ever wanted to do. I love science fiction because sci-fi has tremendous flexibility. I adopted the science fiction-style for the series because then I could write any way I wanted to". She wanted the reader to be completely surprised by the next panel and used slapstick comedy to create a reaction in the reader. When Takahashi ran out of ideas she would create new characters. Takahashi shared a small 150-square-foot apartment with her assistants, and slept in a closet due to a lack of space. While writing "Urusei Yatsura" she also began work on "Maison Ikkoku" and used this experience as well as her university experience as the basis for the setting of that series.