 "Tenchi Muyo" is a Japanese pun. In normal usage, this kanji  compound means "This side up", and is often seen on boxes and  crates. (This is why the North American dubs use a "stencil" font  for all the English titles.) In this series, however, it is read  quite differently. "Tenchi" refers to the main character, and "Muyo"  means "useless". The title could be translated into English as  "Useless Tenchi", or "No Need For Tenchi".