Japanese Titbits #3 – 絶対領域
As you may or may not have noticed, there are two new banners in the random rotation. Don’t try refreshing this page because I’m using WP-Cache so the banner changes only after the cache expires. Instead you can view the new banners (rei.gif and zettai.jpg) using the direct link.
I’m sure everyone knows and loves Rei, but what the heck is 絶対領域? Answer lies after the break.
絶対領域 (zettai ryouiki) literally means “absolute territory”. It is used in Evangelion for Absolute Terror Field (AT Field) which powers the Eva units. Although the term “absolute terror” was derived from Sigmund Freud‘s writings, “zettai ryouiki” was first used by Eva and has absolutely no relationship to “absolute terror” in psychology. (Absolutely. Get it? LOL!…nvm)
And right now, zettai ryouiki has almost nothing to do with Evangelion either, although it is frequently printed in the same style as it appeared in Evangelion (pictured above) as a form of homage. In fact, 絶対領域 today has more to do with knee socks than angst-filled mecha pilots.
Here’s a typical example of the zettai ryouiki.
絶対領域
In the online Japanese geek lingo, “zettai ryouiki” refers to the area of uncovered thigh between the skirt and the knee sock. It can be found in almost any moé-type game or anime. It’s considered a moé attribute, just like nekomimi, megane and tsundere.
絶対領域
The presence of zettai ryouiki requires socks that go above the knees. Thus in the above picture, Tama-nee (red hair) is the only girl with it. In fact, Tama-nee from ToHeart2 is well-known for her awesome zettai ryouiki. :P
絶対領域
Another well-known zettai ryouiki belongs to Rin Tohsaka from Fate/stay night.
絶対領域
Pretty much all maid characters with short skirts have zettai ryouiki, such as the girls from He is My Master. Here’s a Mitsuki cosplayer.
絶対領域
Akiba-blog regularly goes around checking out the cosplayers at Akihabara for zettai ryouiki.
In fact, zettai ryouiki has become a science. According to Hatena Diary, 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％. The ratios are generally off because it is thought that the ultimate zettai ryouiki would generate so much moé that the equivalent energy would be enough to vaporize the planet.
絶対領域
While the term was originally used in Evangelion, it was not until the new millennium before zettai ryouiki was first used in its current context. According to Wikipedia, it was apparently used in reference to a desktop mascot program in the creator’s blog on 21 March 2001 and took off after becoming a web meme and subsequently referred to in various doujinshi.
絶対領域
Banpresto (a division of Namco Bandai Holdings and the makers of Super Robot Wars) registered 絶対領域 as a trademark under digital media last year but it is unknown whether it is related to Evangelion, for which they have the rights to develop games.
絶対領域
And not too long ago, COSPA released an event-limited zettai ryouiki shirt which I have yet to find.
The subtitle of Broccoli’s Galaxy Angel II for PS2 is 絶対領域の扉 (zettai ryouiki no tobira) or “Door of the Absolute Territory”. I wonder what that means? <_<
絶対領域
In conclusion, 絶対領域 are cool. <3 Tama-nee
This ends yet another useless post brought to you by DM.
December 15th, 2006 at 5:19 pm
In this current day and age, where women seem to be flaunting off every square inch of flesh they can within the boundaries of “decency”, zettai ryouiki is a very much welcome concept.
Yes, exposing flesh is quite sexy, but it only provides cheap thrills. I’d very much prefer less flesh and more tasteful style of clothing.
That said, Tohsaka 4TW! Also, I’m so going to watch To Heart 2 soon, even if it’s going to melt my brain cells. All your pimping of Tama-nee is already made me her fan.
December 15th, 2006 at 5:51 pm
You should make 絶対領域 banners only. It will drive your pageviews to insane heights.
December 15th, 2006 at 6:32 pm
Mmmm nice idea. :P
December 15th, 2006 at 7:35 pm
totally agree with tsubaki. 絶対領域 is sort of a art…. much better than nowadays where some women try to wear super miniskirt… you don’t see 絶対領域 gals everyday
December 15th, 2006 at 9:52 pm
DarkMirage, could you photoshop me the first image (the zettai ryouki kanji) for a wallpaper please? Even if I currently use a zettai ryouki wallpaper. Rena :3
THIS POST IS PURE WIN. NEEDS MOAR TAMA-NEE ON MOE FACTOR.
December 15th, 2006 at 10:48 pm
This is one of those things that isn’t necessarily immodest, but certainly can be. And whether it is or not, it’s certainly visually intriguing. I don’t mean in a perverse way I mean artistically: The color contrast and negative space are what makes it visually interesting, not any potentially suggestive nature of it (and it’s frequently not suggestive).
I have yet to see some one dress like this in real life, though. :\
December 15th, 2006 at 10:55 pm
絶対領域全開!
December 16th, 2006 at 12:10 am
no lenalee pictures?
December 16th, 2006 at 12:15 am
Mac is trying to justify his perversion!
It’s okay Mac, we all love zettai ryouiki. :3
That said, knee socks do seem to be quite rare outside of Japan…
December 16th, 2006 at 12:45 am
Zettai ryouiki, so that’s what it’s called! Man I love that.
December 16th, 2006 at 4:07 am
Well, that settles it. Im a pervert.
I knew who almost everyone in those pictures was without looking.
December 16th, 2006 at 6:36 am
Finally 絶対領域 makes an appearance in English blogs. It’s high time!
December 16th, 2006 at 9:20 am
*pat pats Rand*
December 16th, 2006 at 11:08 am
Hmm, I learned something new today, but you still didn’t tell me who that girl is.
While you’re at it Dark Mirage, do add more 絶対領域 banners. Specifically frilly meido. Mmm…
December 16th, 2006 at 10:23 pm
Digressing, are you going to blog on EOY 2006? Were you even there?
December 16th, 2006 at 10:46 pm
yar DM was there.. tsubaki pointed him out to me…
December 17th, 2006 at 12:06 am
lol…was the potato thing for real? Didn’t catch anyone i knew there….
DarkMirage, were you the one in the shirt with the haruhiism in front and the SOS-dan logo behind?
December 17th, 2006 at 12:37 am
One of the kanji phrases that means the same in Chinese… XD
In taiwan people made up an alternative name for it:
[ Schrödinger's Underwear ].
As in [ Schrödinger's Cat ] experiment.
You never know what you gonna get …
December 17th, 2006 at 12:44 pm
+1 intelligence points for me.
December 18th, 2006 at 6:40 am
i lol’ed, especially at the scientific part
much thanks to you DarkMirage, for another entertaining post
I almost creamed my pants from the amount of moe featured.
Trackback from
Moe: Zettai Ryouiki at Kode IkusaDecember 18th, 2006 at 6:49 am
[...] Read DarkMirage’s post on Zettai Ryouiki! [...]
December 18th, 2006 at 8:50 pm
Pretty much all maid characters with short skirts have zettai ryouiki, such as the girls from He is My Master. Here’s a Mitsuki cosplayer. >>
That’s a Asuka Gothic Lolita cosplay, not a HiMM cosplay…
December 18th, 2006 at 10:28 pm
*rejoices with Eleutheria* (^o^)/
December 24th, 2006 at 2:12 am
nice.. yummy… /e14
December 24th, 2006 at 2:19 am
those zettai… wachamacallits are hot… i mean literally…
especially here in our country.. looks hot, feels hot…
and they’re kinda itchy.. wore one when i was on duty at the hospital… feels quite uncomfy…
but they look hot *drools* on women with yummy bodies
Trackback from
The FØØL’s Progress » Blog Archive » Cosafé - Maid Cafe: GoldDecember 25th, 2006 at 4:48 am
[...] They’re doing the ‘twin-effect’ pose and if they’d get the angle of their lower legs right, they’d reveal sufficient 絶対領域 (Absolute Territory) that would set off a nuclear chain reaction in an Otaku’s blood. Just look at how the maids in Japan do that: [...]
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“WE ARE FUCKING NOT DOTQ. THIS TIME SERIOUSLY.” » Blog Archive » I’m not funny anymore - Kyousora 02January 15th, 2007 at 12:24 pm
[...] And about damn time. Little whores who run around with a Zettai Ryouiki of 1:6:0.5 deserve to have the brains fucked out of them. I mean this literally, and heartfully endorse any actual rapings that occur on these grounds. Hell, I’ll give out stipends to those who act on my words, go find a little bitch with aforementioned Zettai Ryouiki, and rape her to death. I know, I know—rape isn’t cool. And I’m not really for it… in general. But come the fuck on. Catgirl had it coming for her. [...]
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Hontou ni Taihen desu » Blog Archive » Venus vs virus - My moe fix for winterJanuary 25th, 2007 at 2:56 am
[...] so that the remaining exposed portions may titillate. Handwarmers are contribute to another of the Zettai ryouiki family, where the upper arm is the object of adoration. (Yes, the wobbly tricep portion which many [...]
January 26th, 2007 at 5:19 pm
Just noticed that you spelled “tidbit” as “titbit”.
Of course, considering the context, this could have been an intentional pun… ;-)
Anyway a fantastic post, thanks.
Trackback from
Moe Moe Rabu » Figure Review: Ready to meet my Fate Testarossa?February 20th, 2007 at 11:17 pm
[...] to the pose of dynamism, action and power. Her blackish grey leggings match her leotard and her zettai ryouiki is another wonderful moé factor. Her boots are the same armour as shown on her left arm, but it [...]
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Heart’s Contents » Blog Archive » Midori AlternativeApril 2nd, 2007 at 8:30 am
[...] Midori (the Black Cat): Were you wondering where I’ve been keeping the zettai ryouiki all this time? Anyway, this Midori has retained the Rozen Maiden look more than any other version, [...]
May 3rd, 2007 at 12:05 pm
I just found my long awaited fetish…
This is it…
In the above given examples, four girls are one of my top twenty…
Rin, Tamaki, KOSMOS, and Kallen….
Thank you for filling another missing gap in my life…
YES…My fetish is 絶対領域
Trackback from
Lucky☆Star Opening Theme - Motteke! Seeraa Fuku « {Words of Songs}September 14th, 2007 at 5:00 pm
[...] zettai ryouiki. It is the absolute [...]
Trackback from
Plasma Zamber Wallet Breaker at hontou ni sou omou?October 14th, 2007 at 1:26 am
[...] final note: the proportions of her zettai ryouiki are not within the recommended parameters of 4:1:2½ (skirt:zettai ryouiki:legging above [...]
October 17th, 2007 at 7:20 pm
So I Zettai Ryouiki of my friends who are girls. To my surprise and my other friend’s horror, another friend brought Zettai Ryouiki socks THE VERY NEXT DAY, no doubt intending to force the sock onto all her girlfriends… It’s a pity I didn’t have the chance to see her actually forcing it onto all her friends…
October 17th, 2007 at 7:28 pm
Let me make a correction to my earlier post: I RECOMMENDED Zettai Ryouiki to all my female friends, who are currently studying in Junior College.
Trackback from
the hontou ni alter fate war :: phase 3 (hnKd 4/2007) at hontou ni sou omou?January 14th, 2008 at 8:04 am
[...] weapons are one such category of banned devices as the amount of moé generated from various sources have the potential to destroy the entire world or even the entire [...]
Trackback from
Zettai Ryouiki - animeOST ForumsApril 7th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
[...] but NOT FOR THE EASILY OFFENDED. Zettai Ryouiki: Achieving the Perfect Zone Anime Desho Desho? Japanese Titbits #3 – ???? – Ramblings of DarkMirage Apart from the blatant objectification of girls involved in analyses like these, how many of you [...]
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noBM.org » Japan - Key Pwnage ObservationsJuly 16th, 2008 at 9:01 am
[...] 2) Zettai Ryouiki is more than a trend, it is everywhere you look and this is a key reason why Otakus refer to Japan as the holy land [...]
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New Figure Acquisition: Soba Waitress Mikuru « Irish NinjutsuJuly 29th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
[...] to be taken at such a low angle (I steady the camera on the surface itself). She has some nice zettai ryouiki as well; it’s part of why I bought her. There was another waitress Mikuru released recently [...]
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19-year-old Fate must be mine. NOW! « Tea Shop BeLovedAugust 24th, 2008 at 7:32 am
[...] different from her original outfit. It’s much more enticing with it’s near perfect zettai ryouiki and the return of the twintails. Movic’s new Fate looks much better than their boring Nanoha [...]
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Dream Sequence » Blog Archive » Anime Evolution 2007 Day 2September 9th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
[...] that day because she was also in the cosplay. Being the slightly perverted, newly converted zettai ryouiki fetishist brother that I am, I asked her to raise her socks above the knees. She grudgingly [...]
September 11th, 2008 at 6:59 am
I think that a zettai ryouiki with garters is simply the best, like the one in the 7th example!!!
Trackback from
Aubade meets figures: Autake. « Jinto.O’s blO.ogOctober 26th, 2008 at 4:41 am
[...] zettai ryouiki. In fact I lately learned the meaning on the word “zettai ryouiki” on Darkmirage’s blog. I was so impressed by this article I told myself I had to use this word in one of my lesson xD I [...]
Trackback from
Top Ten - Anime Fetishes | Oi, Hayaku!October 29th, 2008 at 12:02 am
[...] in posts concerning Clannad is more than enough to justify this being on the list. There are many examples of Zettai Ryouiki (and apparently there’s even maths involved in regards to the perfect [...]
November 28th, 2008 at 1:22 am
Hey, it seems the banner links are now missing the banners. I wanna see them pls. :)
January 24th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
http://www.moefactor.com/pictures/tropical-paradise
Is now a dead link.
Trackback from
monki・net - logos non sufficit » Currently Playing: Valkyria Chronicles (PS3)February 10th, 2009 at 3:43 pm
[...] This is another game that shows that evil guys generally get better personalities and character designs. His evil minions even look cooler than the good guys! Welkin has a boring personality and generic character design, but this main antagonist? Freaking fabulous. I think the only exception to this is the females on the good side, and even then it’s just because of 絶対領域 (zettai ryouiki). [...]
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Hobby Japan April figure preview « wasabi expressFebruary 24th, 2009 at 4:00 am
[...] Nanoha, that bottom-center girl, or Shuffle, but Asa, the cute long hair girl with a dere face and zettai ryouiki is nice <3 Not a fan of her ‘taking off my pantsu’ pose [...]
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Entrequote charolaise» Blog Archive » Mon self ; Ton tiquet restoJune 27th, 2009 at 11:35 pm
[...] pour le sexe ! » Shuri, tu es mon héroïne. Sans compter qu’elle nous offre un magnifique zettai ryouiki, que demander de plus ? Le générique de fin où on la voit en train d’enfiler ses bas a [...]
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Temporal Paralysis » SOYA 2009: The Pictures, The Photographers & The LolzJuly 4th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
[...] Simca from Air Gear, correct? Also, zettai ryouiki. [...]
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Zettai Ryouiki: The ultimate fetish « Third World GeekSeptember 11th, 2009 at 3:16 am
[...] Dark Mirage [...]
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Top Ten Anime Fetishes « Grand Punk RailroadSeptember 13th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
[...] in posts concerning Clannad is more than enough to justify this being on the list. There are many examples of Zettai Ryouiki (and apparently there’s even maths involved in regards to the perfect [...]
Trackback from
Plasma Zamber Wallet Breaker « hontou niNovember 13th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
[...] final note: the proportions of her zettai ryouiki are not within the recommended parameters of 4:1:2½ (skirt:zettai ryouiki:legging above [...]
Trackback from
Lucky☆Star Opening Theme – Motteke! Seeraa Fuku « • [Ǽ]`ksaurslie™ •January 24th, 2010 at 3:15 pm
[...] zettai ryouiki. It is the absolute [...]
Trackback from
Thigh High Thursday « Hallucinogenic JavaJuly 9th, 2010 at 12:01 am
[...] “In fact, zettai ryouiki has become a science. According to Hatena Diary, 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％. The ratios are generally off because it is thought that the ultimate zettai ryouiki would generate so much moé that the equivalent energy would be enough to vaporize the planet.” – DarkMirage [...]