The series first appeared in Shogakukan's "Weekly Shonen Sunday" in September 1978. At the start of the series it was only scheduled to run for 5 chapters. Ataru was the central character and each chapter would feature a different strange character. The character of Lum was only going to appear in the first chapter and was not in the second chapter; however, Takahashi decided to re-include her in the third chapter. The series was not an instant success and chapters were initially published sporadically. Between May and September 1978 she simultaneously worked on a series called "Dust Spot"; however, the increasing popularity of "Urusei Yatsura" caused her to focus on "Urusei" and the series became a regular serialization from the middle of 1979.