This index involves the many tropes about restrictions — whether it's a character not being allowed to do something, a player not being able to do something in a game, a character being prevented from doing something, or anything in between. Compare This Index Is in the Way, Help! Help! This Index Is Being Repressed!, This Index Is Stuck, and Disability Tropes.
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In-Universe Restrictions
In-Universe Restrictions
- Absurdly Exclusive Recruiting Standards: An organisation that's extremely picky about who it chooses to recruit.
- Age-Restricted Ability: Only those in a certain age group can get powers.
- Alien Non-Interference Clause: A character must not interfere with aliens' society.
- Anti-Interference Lock Up: A character is locked up so they won't interfere with a plan.
- Ban on A.I.: Artificial Intelligence is outlawed.
- Ban on Magic: Magical beings are either limited from using their powers or are straight-up disallowed from using them entirely.
- Barred from Every Bar: Getting kicked out of multiple bars due to drunken misbehavior.
- Barrier Warrior: Someone with the power to create barriers.
- Bathroom Control: Not being allowed to use the bathroom.
- Because Destiny Says So: A character's fate is already written, and they must follow it no matter what.
- Brought Down to Normal: A character loses their superpowers, magic, etc.
- Can't Shift While Shifted: A shapeshifter has to return to their Shapeshifter Default Form to turn into something else.
- Children Are Special: Only kids may experience paranormal things.
- Chores Without Powers: Someone with magical abilities, superpowers, etc. does menial labor without using said powers, usually as a punishment.
- Classified Information: Only those with authorization are allowed to know this information.
- Closet Punishment: When a character gets locked away in a closet as punishment.
- Compressed Abstinence: A character is trying to give something up... but there's no apparent reason why they must give it up.
- Conditional Powers: A superpower that the character can only use if they do, or refrain from doing, a certain thing.
- Conditioned to Be Weak: A physically powerful character is only submissive because of their mental conditioning and mental barriers, such as brainwashing, fear, trauma, or their upbringing.
- Defied Trope: A character does not allow a trope to take place.
- Denied Food as Punishment: A character is punished by not being given food, or not as much food.
- Dissuading the Property Buyer: Someone schemes to discourage people from buying a property.
- Don't Eat and Swim: Someone must wait an arbitrary amount of time (usually one hour) before swimming after eating lest they get cramps.
- Don't Wake the Sleeper: The characters are not allowed to wake up a sleeping character.
- Drowning Pit: A character is locked in a room that's filling with water.
- Enforced Cold War: Two parties at the edge of conflict don't escalate thanks to an external force but remain hostile.
- Fantasy-Forbidding Father: A father doesn't allow his kid or children to become what they want to be.
- First Law of Gender Bending: If a character becomes female, they must stay in that form permanently.
- Forbidden Chekhov's Gun: A character is not allowed to use an item, but later must use it anyway.
- Forbidden Fruit: A character wants to do something solely because it's forbidden.
- Forbidden Zone: Characters aren't allowed to go to a place, but end up going there anyway.
- Frequently-Broken Unbreakable Vow: A character promises something, but keeps having to break their promise.
- Funeral Banishment: Someone isn't allowed to go attend someone else's funeral.
- Gender-Restricted Ability: A superpower or similar that only men, or only women, can have.
- Get Out!: Someone is rudely told to leave an area.
- Getting the Boot: Someone is literally kicked or thrown out of an area to communicate they aren't welcome there.
- God's Hands Are Tied: There's a problem so bad even deities can't solve it.
- God Turned Mortal: A deity is transformed into a mortal.
- Go to Your Room!: A character (usually a child) is disallowed from leaving their bedroom as punishment.
- Greens Precede Sweets: A child must eat the vegetables they hate if they want any dessert.
- Grounded Forever: A ridiculously long grounding.
- Hates Their Awesome Skill: A character doesn't use a potentially useful skill because they just don't like to.
- Heir Club for Men: Only men may be heirs.
- Hollywood Restraining Order: A signed legal document that restrains the person from another and has to stay away.
- Inevitably Broken Rule: A character is given a specific rule to follow, but they end up breaking it for plot-relevant reasons.
- Insurmountable Waist-High Fence: You're blocked from getting over there because of a fence. Better find another way around!
- In-System FTL: Faster-Than-Light Travel that is only used within a star system.
- Invisible to Adults: Somethings can't be seen by adults.
- It Only Works Once: A tactic may only be used once.
- The Killjoy: A wet blanket character who tries to get others to stop enjoying themselves.
- Let Us Never Speak of This Again: When a character is forbidden to talk about what the others had done and/or been through.
- Limited-Use Magical Device: A Spell Book that can only be used once.
- Limiting the Potential: A character tries to keep someone from becoming too skilled, powerful, and/or smart to control.
- Locked in a Freezer: Characters are locked in a dangerous room.
- Locked in a Room: Characters at odds are locked in a room together.
- Loony Laws: The craziest of things are illegal.
- Magical Profanity Filter: A magic spell or other in-universe effect that prevents characters from swearing.
- Magic Rarity Preservation: Something about the universe keeps magic from being common.
- Mandatory Line: A line of dialogue that's forced because it's only added due to the actor's contract.
- May It Never Happen Again: When a person restricts themselves and/or others from repeating the same problem again.
- Most Definitely Not Accompanying Us: Someone is banned from accompanying the protagonist(s) but escapes and tags along anyway.
- Must Be Invited: Monsters cannot enter a home without permission.
- Naval Blockade: Preventing the movement of goods, supplies, and forces via naval and sea power.
- No Animals Allowed: Pets, or a specific type of pet, are banned from a place.
- No Music Allowed: The characters are banned from making, or listening to, music.
- "No Peeking!" Request: Someone disallows someone else to look at them.
- No Pregger Sex: A straight couple may not have sex if the woman is pregnant.
- "No Talking or Phones" Warning: People in a theatre are told not to talk or use their phones.
- Obstructive Code of Conduct: An ethical code that restricts choices.
- One Drink Will Kill the Baby: A woman is not allowed to imbibe while pregnant for fear of the alcohol poisoning the fetus.
- One Password Attempt Ever: A character is banned or the protected data is destroyed after just one failed password attempt.
- Only Good People May Pass: A place is made so that villains may not enter.
- Only Smart People May Pass: A character cannot pass a barrier without solving a puzzle.
- Only the Chosen May Wield: An item which can only be used by one particular person.
- Only the Pure of Heart: Things which require "purity of heart" in order to be done or used.
- Only the Worthy May Pass: A character must be deemed eligible somehow in order to pass a barrier.
- Out Sick: A character is unable to do something due to being sick or injured.
- Persona Non Grata: Someone is banned from a place.
- Phony Rules: A character makes up a rule to stop someone else from doing something.
- Population Control: Laws that limit the amount of children people have.
- Possessive Paradise: A place that seems like a paradise but you can't leave.
- Power Limiter: A device that restricts a character's superpowers or similar.
- The Quiet Game: A character (usually a child or someone talkative, curious, or cheerful) is not allowed to talk under the pretense of a game.
- Restraining Bolt: An item attached to a character that restrains them in some way.
- Re-Unlocking Power: A character is unable to use an ability they have until they meet some condition.
- Sauna of Death: Someone is stuck in a sauna.
- Single-Target Law: A law is passed that only targets one person.
- Sissy Shaming: A character forbids men from doing "feminine" activities.
- Stay in the Kitchen: A character forbids women from doing dangerous work.
- Third Law of Gender-Bending: A gender-bent character must embody stereotypes associated with their new gender.
- Three Laws-Compliant: A robot may not attack or kill humans, self-destruct, or (unless it would break one of the first two laws) disobey a human.
- Trapped at the Dinner Table: A picky eater can't leave the dinner table until they've eaten everything on their plate.
- Trauma-Induced Prohibition: Something is banned out of personal trauma and/or because it was associated with a controversial character.
- Unable to Retreat: Surprise! You can't leave.
- Unicorns Prefer Virgins: Only virgins can interact with unicorns.
- Unwinnable Training Simulation: A simulated scenario where the only option is failure.
- Virgin Power: Certain magical things that can only be experienced if you're a virgin.
- Weaksauce Weakness: All it takes is something ridiculously minor, like water or a cold, to kill a character or render them powerless.
- Weapon Chooses the Wielder: A weapon, armor, or item in general selects who wields it.
- Willfully Weak: A very powerful being deliberately limits how much of their power they use so there's no risk of causing too much unnecessary harm or damage.
- You Are Grounded!: A character forbids another (usually their child) from leaving the house without permission as punishment.
- You Can't Fight Fate: No matter how much a character tries, they can't change the future.
Game Restrictions
Game Restrictions
- Anti-Grinding: A video game which bans Level Grinding (doing something over and over to boost character stats).
- Anti-Idling: The game punishes the player if they spend too much time doing nothing.
- Anti Poop-Socking: A video game that forces the player to take a break if they play for too long.
- Anti-Rage Quitting: A game tries to prevent players from leaving too early, whether by punishing them for leaving or rewarding them for staying.
- Anti-Trolling Features: Players in a video game are prevented from doing certain troll actions.
- Arbitrary Augmentation Limit: A game that puts a limit on the amount of enhancements you can use.
- Arbitrary Equipment Restriction: A point in a video game where one or more items are unusable for little to no in-universe reason.
- Arbitrary Headcount Limit: There's an arbitrary limit to the amount of units, or one particular unit, that can be onscreen at once.
- Arbitrary Mission Restriction: Quests in a video game must be carried out in oddly specific ways.
- Arbitrary Option Limit: A limit on the number of displayed choices.
- Artificial Insolence: Characters in a game refuse to obey the player.
- Bladder of Steel: A game that prevents you from pausing.
- Breakable Weapons: Weapons in video games that only have a limited amount of uses.
- Building Location Restrictions: Build structures within moments, and in combat to boot, but only under specific conditions.
- But Thou Must!: A game seems to present multiple choices, but all lead in the same direction anyway.
- Cap: A video game only allows a certain amount of something per level.
- Character Select Forcing: A game has certain levels where you can only win (or are more likely to win) if you play as a certain character.
- Gender-Restricted Gear: Video game items that can only be used by characters of a certain gender.
- Guilt-Based Gaming: The game tries to guilt-trip the player into doing or not doing something.
- Handicap Mission: A level or boss in a game that has to be played with some kind of disadvantage.
- I Can't Reach It: Video game characters can't do something that they logically should be able to do, often giving the player a contrived excuse for why they can't do it.
- Immobile Player Character: A Player Character's movements are incredibly limited.
- Invisible Wall: Restricting the area of play the player is in.
- Kill Screen: A game can only be played for so long without causing it to become very glitchy.
- Level-Locked Loot: Items (usually powerful ones) in video games which you must do something like level up, gain more stats, etc. in order to use.
- Merchant Money Cap: Game merchants have a limited amount of money available for trading.
- No-Gear Level: A video game level where you must play with no equipment.
- No Item Use for You: A situation in a video game where you can't use any items.
- One-Time Dungeon: A place in a game that can only be accessed once.
- Only Idiots May Pass: The game makes the player go the wrong way before they go the right way.
- Only One Save File: A game can only be saved once.
- Railroading: A game forces the player in one particular direction.
- Rate-Limited Perpetual Resource: A resource that's impossible to run out of, but only a certain amount can be used or taken at a time.
- Required Party Member: A character in a Role-Playing Game who you must include in a group.
- Stalked by the Bell: A video game forces you to hurry up if you lollygag.
- Stupidity Is the Only Option: The game forces the player to do something dumb.
- Timed Mission: A player must complete the game (or at least one level of it) within a time limit.
- Timed Power-Up: A Power-Up that's only temporary.
- Uniqueness Rule: Only one of a particular entity may be in play.
- Unusable Enemy Equipment: Enemy weapons and equipment cannot be picked up and/or used by the player, and remain exclusive to them.
- Unwinnable by Design: A game prevents the player from being able to succeed by putting you in an intentionally unwinnable situation.
- Video Game Cruelty Punishment: The game punishes players for deliberately doing mean things to enemies and NPCs.
- Video Game Perversity Prevention: A video game prevents players from doing sexual, profane, or otherwise inappropriate things.
Out-of-Universe Restrictions
Out-of-Universe Restrictions
- 65-Episode Cartoon: A cartoon with only 65 episodes.
- Avoid the Dreaded G Rating: A work goes out of its way to avoid landing an Everyone Rating.
- Banned Episode: An already-aired episode is not allowed on TV again, and this can be for various reasons (such as copyright or offensive content).
- Banned in China: A work or item is banned in a certain country for various reasons.
- Ban on Politics: Talking about politics in a non-political work is not permitted.
- Barbie Doll Anatomy: Characters are depicted naked, but lack visible genitalia.
- Bottle Episode: An episode takes place in the same area the whole time to save money.
- Bowdlerise: Certain things deemed inappropriate are removed from a work.
- Bury Your Art: A work's creator attempts to restrict access to their work due to Creator Backlash.
- But Not Too Gay: Gay romance isn't allowed to be as explicit as straight romance.
- Coconut Superpowers: A character's powers are only given limited demonstrations using cheap special effects because the production's budget can't afford to show the character's powers to their fullest extent.
- Continued by the Creator's Family: A creator's relative is the one person chosen to continue the latter's work after they depart, primarily due to them being the only person fully privy to all the behind-the-scenes progress.
- Disease by Any Other Name: A work doesn't mention a particular disease by name due to the characters' ignorance of it.
- The Disease That Shall Not Be Named: The writers go out of their way to avoid mentioning a particular disease by name.
- Enforced Element: The writers are obligated to use a certain element.
- Executive Meddling: The writers are bossed around by the executives on what they may or may not add to the work.
- Executive Veto: The higher-ups turn down an idea and the writers find a way around it.
- Exiled from Continuity: A character isn't allowed to appear in an adaptation or to make anymore appearances in the original work, usually because of copyright issues.
- Fan-Work Ban: A creator of a piece of media restricts and/or bans fan projects about it.
- Frothy Mugs of Water: The writers aren't allowed to show alcohol so they change the drink into something else, sometimes making excuses for why a character is acting drunk.
- Get Back in the Closet: A work can't be family-friendly if it has an LGBTQ+ character.
- Hammer and Sickle Removed for Your Protection: Communist symbols and references to the Soviet Union are removed in stories about the Cold War and afterwards.
- Happy Birthday to You!: The "Happy Birthday" song was initially under copyright, so works weren't allowed to have characters sing it.
- Implied Rape: The story hints at a character suffering sexual abuse, but never outright uses the word "rape" to refer to what they experienced. This can as equally be due to the work being intended for general audiences as it is the writer simply not being comfortable with directly spelling out that the character was violated.
- Lawyer-Friendly Cameo: Due to legal issues, a creator must obscure characters' faces, modify them, or not name them in order for a Crossover to happen.
- Male Frontal Nudity: If a man or boy is shown naked, he must never be seen from the front.
- Never Say "Die": Characters aren't allowed to mention death, frequently resorting to vague euphemisms.
- Never Say "Sex": Characters aren't to mention sex, frequently resorting to vaguely alluding to it.
- No Budget: Monetary constraints prevent impressive props or special effects from happening.
- No Origin Stories Allowed: The creators ban a backstory of a character from ever being revealed.
- No Smoking: A work is not allowed to show smoking, so scenes involving it are edited out.
- No Swastikas: Nazi symbols and references to Nazi Germany must be removed in a story about World War II.
- No Transhumanism Allowed: Nearly everyone is recognizably human to the audience despite the ubiquitous presence of advanced technology that means they shouldn't necessarily have to be.
- Restricted Expanded Universe: The Expanded Universe has rules enforced by the executives or creators that it must never break.
- Scenery Censor: For censorship reasons, a nude scene has the character's private parts obscured by conveniently located objects.
- Screwed by the Lawyers: A work is either canceled or negatively affected due to copyright or trademarking restrictions.
- Scunthorpe Problem: A profanity filter doesn't let someone write words that have swear words inside them (e.g. "class") or are only swearing in a context the person didn't use (e.g. "bitch" to mean a female dog).
- Self-Imposed Challenge: A player plays a game in a way that limits themselves, despite the game itself not holding them back.
- Serendipity Writes the Plot: Technical or budget limitations set the story in motion.
- Shoulders-Up Nudity: When a nude scene can't be too explicit, an alternative to invisible genitals and obscuring the inappropriate parts using foreground objects is to simply keep everything below the neck out of frame.
- Toplessness from the Back: The work has a scene where a female character appears in a state of undress where she's at least topless, but she's only given a back shot from the waist up because the work's content rating won't allow bare breasts (or buttocks and/or genitals, depending on whether the extent of her nudity is more than mere toplessness) to be shown.
- Writing Around Trademarks: The author may not name a character one particular thing because it's trademarked.
