http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ZettaiRyouiki

Not shown in exhibit A: the legendary Grade S. note As a rule, true Zettai Ryouiki includes over-the-knee (B) and thigh-high (A and S), but no lower.



A pair of knee-socks and an oversized sweatshirt

She goes right to my heart

She comes a'knocking with her stocking and I get hurt." Ken Ashcorp, "Absolute Territory" "She's got a fetish for fine artA pair of knee-socks and an oversized sweatshirtShe goes right to my heartShe comes a'knocking with her stocking and I get hurt."

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"Absolute Territory" (絶対領域, zettai ryouiki) describes the amount of bare thigh skin between the skirt and stockings or socks for female characters. The term and the trope come from anime and manga, with the term being used as an homage to the AT fields in Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Zettai Ryouiki is made up of three components: socks (or stockings), skin, and skirt.note The golden ratio for the ultimate zettai ryouiki is 4:1:2.5 (length of skirt : zettai ryouiki : length of socks above knee) and the acceptable margin for error is ±25%.For more info, check this article. As per usual for fandom who obsess about costumes, this can be considered a moe attribute and thus, appear prominently in character designs and schoolgirl outfits, despite the fact that it kind of defeats the point of a uniform.

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Since a Zettai Ryouiki is defined by the length of the stockings or socks, some people have categorized them into grades depending on the length of the socks. This ranking system goes from Grade F to Grade Anote Some even include a Grade S (Grade A + Tsundere + Girlish Pigtails), which started as an In-Joke based on Rin Tohsaka of Fate/stay night. However, only Grades A (and thus S) and B are considered Zettai Ryouiki.

It has gained popularity around the world, especially in Japan, where it is a very popular fashion item with girls and young women, so the occurrence of Zettai Ryouiki can be regarded as Truth in Television.

Tropes Are Flexible: This trope not only covers socks but thigh-high boots as well. An Action Girl may trade the skirt for hotpants or other short bottomsnote However, it should not be too short like a leotard, or it'll mess the ratio, but if it doesn't include thigh-highs and visible skin, it's not Zettai Ryouiki.

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See also Joshikousei (a combination of Japanese girls and the school uniform this trope is often combined with), Stocking Filler (for stockings without the skirts), Minidress of Power, Who Wears Short Shorts?, and She's Got Legs. The core reason for this may also be tied to the Theiss Titillation Theory. Compare with Opera Gloves, which are the equivalents for arms. Contrast Proper Tights with a Skirt.

As the length of this page proves, Zettai Ryouiki is Serious Business.

Examples should be limited to grades A and B. Use the page image to identify them. Also, be objective in writing the examples, without getting into fetishes.

Examples:

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Advertising

Jlist.com now sells a shirt praising the style by name: Link.

In July 2013, Japanese PR firm WIT has started an advertising campaign where they place ads on young women's thighs, exploiting this principle.

Anime and Manga

Comedy

Dara O'Briain refers to this zone as "where the sexy is", and admits to the absurdity of desiring "a woman who looks like she's been partially dipped in ink".

Comic Books

Tom Morello's Orchid of the eponymous comic book sports a grade A level of this.

Envy in Scott Pilgrim, big time. She's seen in Grade B in volume 3 and manages to hit a solid A in volume 6. Hell, most of the main female characters exhibit it multiple times.

Gwen Stacy is, in the mainstream continuity and The Amazing Spider-Man, famous for this look.

Supergirl: Most of Supergirl's costumes include a mini-skirt or hotpants and boots. Her New 52 outfit ◊ and her Red Lantern uniform ◊ worn in the Red Daughter of Krypton storyline include a leotard-like armour and knee-length red boots.

and her Red Lantern uniform worn in the Red Daughter of Krypton storyline include a leotard-like armour and knee-length red boots. X-23 at times sports this look in her civvies. Most evident in this ◊ outfit from Target: X, and in most of her clothing throughout NYX.

outfit from Target: X, and in most of her clothing throughout NYX. One of Jack Cole's Playboy comics featured a bar graph representing the past and projected growth of the American economy (or something like that) formed out of the stockings of three subjects. The caption has been lost, but the picture can be seen here (probably safe for work) and almost perfectly parallels the A-F scale.

(probably safe for work) and almost perfectly parallels the A-F scale. In W.I.T.C.H. Hay Lin's New Power outfit hits Grade S. Bonus point for pulling it off with a long skirt (loincloth style) and a full mane of hair between her twintails.

Rose Walker sports Grade A in The Sandman The Kindly Ones Part Six.

Mazikeen sports Grade A in Lucifer volume one. Perhaps it's intended to distract you from what's under her half-mask.

Fan Works

Films — Live-Action

Live-Action TV

Machinima

Evil Tales: Aura wears Grade B stockings in most of her appearances. Gretel wears Grade A stockings combined with garters.

Music

In Andrew Bird's song "Fake Palindromes", the girl's got red lipstick and a bright pair of shoes; she's got knee-high socks, what to cover a bruise. She's also got blood in her eyes...

It's the subject of Ken Ashcorp's song "Absolute Territory".

"Absolute Territory". Also the subject of Arctic Monkeys' song "Knee Socks" , from the album AM

, from the album AM The TV's Kyle song "Absolute Zone" is about someone being enthralled by this.

is about someone being enthralled by this. Nightwish vocalist Floor Jansen's stage costumes ◊ sometimes include this.

Music Videos

Tabletop Games

The Pathfinder Iconic Witch Feiya is a type B ◊ . Her family is even a Tien ("Asian") family which crossed the Crown of the World to enter the Viking-themed Land of the Linnorm Kings on the other side of the world before she was forcibly trained as a witch against her will.

. Her family is even a Tien ("Asian") family which crossed the Crown of the World to enter the Viking-themed Land of the Linnorm Kings on the other side of the world before she was forcibly trained as a witch against her will. Quite a few characters sport this look in Malifaux, including Colette Dubois, McMourning's nurse assistants, and various mercenary swordswomen.

Depending on your definition, Isabella Von Carstein from Warhammer comes in at a grade A or B, just with armor and petticoats. Being a vampire it seems doubtless that this is also a sign of her yandere nature for Vlad.

Force Of Will: Some of the main female characters like Alice, Dark Alice, Ayu, Zero, etc are like this.

Toys

The entire Duel Maid III line if collectible figures feature this trope. Every maid is dressed in a short dress with thigh stockings.

The Lollipop Girl doll line has loads of this. One doll sports grade B and two sport grade A in the first edition line.

Kotobukiya's Bishoujo statue line reimagined Edward Scissorhands (among other horror icons) as a cute girl. Her shredded skirt and leg-straps combine into a Grade A.

The Frame Arms Girl series combines this with the girls' thigh joints, allowing them to position their legs and balance themselves. It's also Grade B.

Lola from Triad Toys' G4H could potentially be Grade-S, depending on what personality you want to give her.

Video Games

Visual Novels

Web Animation

About 85 Percent of dancers in any fan-made or official Caramelldansen Vid.

Clawdeen from Monster High wears her socks at Grade B. Some background characters sport Grade B as well.

Beth from Bravest Warriors sports this.

Web Comics

Web Original

All OS-tans have been depicted wearing Zettai Ryouiki at some point. It is especially popular with XP-tan and Firefox-ko.

In the Whateley Universe, Jade has discovered this. Along with the formula. Fear her!

Gaia Online's Cindy Donovinh has Grade A red stockings to go with her miniskirt.

Web Videos

Almost all the girls from Rooster Teeth's Pajamachievements series rock this look, most sporting a Grade B, with pajamas of course.

Carmilla from Carmilla the Series sometimes wears a Grade B with socks and short shorts.

The four main characters of RWBY have this look (for the most part) when they wear their Beacon Academy uniforms. Yang wears Grade A, Blake Grade D, and Weiss Grade E. Ruby's "stockings" stop beyond the hem of her skirt. Weiss's SnowPea outfit is Grade B, and Penny wears Grade A.

Western Animation