Line #23 Main/EnforcedTrope


1	->''TROPE*''
2	->
3	->*Our magnanimous sponsor TropeCo/TropeCo® requires us to display this word.
4	-->-- The "Enforced" box of the image on PlayingWithATrope
5
6	'''Keep in mind that since this is behind the scenes, any InUniverse examples must be about a behind-the-scenes thing, such as BreakingTheFourthWall or dealing with a ShowWithinAShow.'''
7
8	Tropes that are there because the writer had to include them, due to outside factors (even if the writer would have preferred to leave them out).
9
10	It happens for a number of reasons:
11	* ExecutiveMeddling (The execs outright order the creator to include a particular trope.)
12	* ExecutiveVeto (The execs forbid the use of a trope, which can lead to that trope's inversion or aversion being enforced.)
13	* MoralGuardians
14	* A CensorshipBureau or MediaWatchdog
15	* Constraints of the medium (which can lead to a PragmaticAdaptation).
16	* Budget and time limitations
17
18	May lead to WriterRevolt in extreme cases, or an attempt at GettingCrapPastTheRadar.
19
20	Yet be careful about assuming these just from looking at the final work. Many things can happen behind the scenes, and only WordOfGod, or some other reliable source, can truly tell us if this happens or not. In many cases, the writers did want to include these elements.
21
22	Compare InvokedTrope (a character in a story tries to make a trope happen), JustifiedTrope (when a work states a reason for a trope to happen).
23
24	Contrast SubvertedTrope (the trope is set up, but doesn't occur), AvertedTrope (the trope never appears), DefiedTrope (a character actively tries to stop a trope from happening).
25	----
26	!!Tropes that are often enforced (at least in the circumstances noted):
27	[[index]]
28	* FiveFiveFive: Fictional phone numbers and addresses need to avoid corresponding to ones in RealLife.
29	* AdaptationalModesty is practically mandatory in adaptations that strive to reach a general audience. Even if an actor is comfortable with appearing naked onscreen, extended scenes of full-frontal nudity pretty much ''guarantee'' a film an "R" rating, which makes a film much harder to market. Especially mandatory if a character is underage; while putting naked underaged characters in a novel or comic book might fly, it most definitely ''doesn't'' in a movie or television series, where ([[DawsonCasting with a few exceptions]]) they have to be played by real underaged actors.
30	* AmericanKirbyIsHardcore: Tweaking a work's marketing (or, in more extreme circumstances, presentation) to make it more suited for a region's preferences.
31	* AndKnowingIsHalfTheBattle: Became a de facto requirement in many kids' shows from TheEighties and TheNineties, when networks were required to make a certain percentage of children's programming "educational." Tacking on a moral at the end counted.
32	* AvoidTheDreadedGRating. It's presumed that any work that ''can'' be seen without moral qualms by anyone, regardless of age, is not worth seeing by adults ("children will watch ''anything''"). Since this would cut into profits by scaring off parts of the potential audience, it needs to be avoided.
33	* BlandNameProduct: Featuring trademarked brands and products in a movie or TV show can lead to legal trouble if it's done without the manufacturer's permission, especially if they don't approve of the manner in which their products are portrayed. Notable examples include the films of Creator/QuentinTarantino (where characters always smoke "Red Apple" cigarettes and eat fast food from "Big Kahuna Burger"), and Creator/KevinSmith (where characters always chew "Chewley's Gum" and eat fast food from "Mooby's").
34	* {{Bowdlerise}}: The enforcers could be MoralGuardians, government requirements, ValuesDissonance for different countries, etc.
35	* TheCoconutEffect, because RealityIsUnrealistic.
36	** The AudibleSharpness in ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' was going to be averted, until test audiences had trouble accepting the absence of that sound.
37	* CoconutSuperpowers, because of budgetary problems during production.
38	* DawsonCasting can sometimes be necessary for legal reasons. A very common example is to avoid Union regulations and/or actual laws in regards to youth actors.
39	** Take the film adaptation of ''Literature/TheReader''. David Kross legally couldn't shoot his sex scenes with Creator/KateWinslet until he had turned 18.
40	** ''Series/GameOfThrones'' takes this even further. In [[Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire the books]], Daenerys Targaryen is 13 when she is [[ArrangedMarriage married off]] to [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Khal Drogo]], and eventually becomes pregnant with his child--just as she turns 14. She was aged up significantly to avoid the MoralGuardians, but as the time of her birth is tied to [[GreatOffscreenWar Robert's Rebellion]], the rest of the cast had to be aged up as well.
41	* EnforcedPlug: The enforced variation of Product Placement.
42	* EpilepticFriendlyFilter: Naturally higher ups don't want to inadvertently trigger photosensitive epilepsy.
43	* {{Flynning}}:
44	** It's a necessity for theatrical productions, as realistic swordplay would not only be too dangerous, but also remove the audience's WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief in having them worry about the actors.
45	** For family and children's media, Flynning is necessary for depicting exciting swordplay [[FamilyUnfriendlyViolence in a way that's appropriate for]] [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids its target audience]]. Realistic swordplay is not only violent, but also detached from the audience's expectations of RuleOfCool; therefore, it's only used in works where the context would be appropriate, such as ''Film/RobinAndMarian'' and ''Film/TheDuellists''.
46	* GreatOffscreenWar: Depicting a full-scale war is ''incredibly'' expensive in visual media, so budgetary concerns often necessitate keeping things offscreen (save for one or two important battles), or just setting the story in the aftermath. Notable examples include the Great Time War in ''Series/DoctorWho'', the War of the Five Kings in ''Series/GameOfThrones'', the Roman Civil War in ''Series/{{Rome}}'', The War of Wrath in ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower'' and the Earth-Romulan War in ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries''.
47	* MerchandiseDriven: Any work that exists to promote or sell a product (such as a line of toys) will be constrained by product availability, turnover, popularity and gimmicks. ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'' is probably the most successful example.
48	* {{Nephewism}}: To avoid the implications that certain characters (especially family-friendly ones, i.e. from the WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts) had sex for those children to come to existence.
49	* OurLawyersAdvisedThisTrope: Legal disclaimers are necessary to stave off litigation.
50	* PostScriptSeason: If a show is renewed, it'll get written for, but the writers then have to work their way out of the constraints of the original story.
51	* PrecisionFStrike: In many movies whose producers had to fight for "PG-13" ratings, since the MPAA's rules on profanity mean that a movie arbitrarily receives an "R" rating if it uses the word "fuck" more than once.
52	* ProductPlacement is often the result of ExecutiveMeddling, while some are done with the agreement of the filmmakers. Whatever reason, this trope brings more money to the production, which often covers the costs of filming.
53	* RiseAndFallGangsterArc: Hollywood films produced between 1934-54 were expressly forbidden by MediaNotes/TheHaysCode from depicting [[KarmaHoudini criminals getting away with their crimes]], so any gangster film made in the period was legally obliged to show the VillainProtagonist getting his comeuppance by the end of the film.
54	* RoseTintedNarrative: When fiction deals with the history of some region, it may sometimes need this to get mainstream success in that region. In worse cases, Rose Tinted Narrative will be required for [[BannedInChina publication]].
55	** The DeepSouth in the first several decades of film got a lot of rose-tinting.
56	** Also happens with other works that require the authorization of their subjects--authorized biographies, for instance.
57	** Under MediaNotes/TheHaysCode, priests, ministers, and other religious authorities had to be portrayed respectfully without exception. Fittingly, one of the co-authors of the Code's actual text was a Jesuit Catholic priest--and while he acknowledged that not all "ministers of religion" were worthy of respect, mockery of any one of them would (supposedly) encourage sacrilegious attitudes.
58	* SpiritualAdaptation: When a legal dispute renders a true adaptation impossible. Many of the films of Creator/GeorgeLucas are famous for this; supposedly, he made the [[Film/ANewHope original]] ''Franchise/StarWars'' because he couldn't get the rights to ''Franchise/FlashGordon'', ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk'' because he had always wanted to produce a Franchise/JamesBond movie, and ''Film/{{Willow}}'' because he couldn't get the rights to ''Literature/TheHobbit''.
59	* SpiritualSuccessor: When a legal dispute renders a true sequel impossible.
60	* TwoPartTrilogy: When a work turns out to be particularly successful, executives often demand two or more followups [[CashCowFranchise to cash in on the success of the original]], which necessitates writing one story that can be stretched over multiple installments.
61	** Other times when a writer gets an idea for a multi-part story, they usually can't get the later installments greenlit unless the first one turns out to be successful, which necessitates writing a first installment that can stand on its own.
62	* WhatWereTheySellingAgain: Products which sell themselves based on unproven medical claims aren't allowed to use those unproven claims in their advertising, forcing them to settle for such tactics as [[Advertising/HeadOn telling you to "apply directly to the forehead" and hoping you'll figure out on your own that this is intended to cure headaches]].
63	* WhiteMaleLead: Because the entertainment industry feels (rightly or wrongly) that white people won't relate to someone from an ethnic minority group.
64	* TheWildcats: Most distinctive-sounding names for athletic teams are [[ScrewedByTheLawyers trademarked]] by ''actual'' professional athletic teams, forcing fiction writers to use generic names that are in the public domain.
65	* WritingByTheSeatOfYourPants: If a work is designed not be to be planned out in advance, but have the story changes be decided by things like random chance, or letting the audience vote on outcomes.
66	** ''WebVideo/VinesauceTomodachiLife'' leaves many events and outcomes to the RandomNumberGod, any number of plot twists and character traits are established with no real foreshadowing (for the most part). Since [[WebVideo/{{Vinesauce}} Vinny]] is livestreaming the game and can't save scum his way out of certain events, he ends up being just as surprised as the viewers are by them. Essentially, the series writes itself on the fly.
67	** Others using random numbers include ''[[Creator/ItaloCalvino Il castello dei destini incrociati]]'' and WebOriginal/{{Inglip}}.
68	[[/index]]
69	----
70	!!Works that enforced a specific trope:
71
72	[[folder:Comic Books]]
73	* The titular character of ''ComicBook/ShangChi'' is a Chinese BruceLeeClone and the son of Fu Manchu and an unnamed white woman. The original plan was to make him fully Chinese, but editorial mandate by Roy Thomas enforced ButNotTooForeign and made him half-white. The character's creator and original writer Steve Englehart assumed it was to not alienate white audiences ("there were parts of the south that would not carry ''ComicBook/LukeCage''), while artist Jim Starlin added that he wasn't great at drawing Asian faces. This was retconned in the 2020s, when Creator/GeneLuenYang introduced the Chinese woman Jiang Li as his mother.
74	[[/folder]]
75
76	[[folder:Film - Animated]]
77	* ''Anime/PatlaborTheMovie'' uses a lot of BiblicalMotifs: the conflict revolves around a CityOnTheWater called the Babylon Project, centered on a structure called the Ark, the main villain Ei'ichi Hoba has a GodComplex and his name is a deliberate cipher of "Jehovah", and the script quotes several books of the Old Testament. All of this was inspired by writer Creator/MamoruOshii noticing that Noa Izumi's given name sounded like the biblical Noah from the Literature/BookOfGenesis and [[InspirationForTheWork building the script around it]].
78	[[/folder]]
79
80	[[folder:Film - Live Action]]
81	* In the ''Franchise/StarWars'' universe, [[OldMaster Yoda]] remains an example of InexplicablyAwesome because Creator/GeorgeLucas explicitly forbade ExpandedUniverse writers from exploring his backstory, or revealing anything major about his (still unnamed) species.
82	* In ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'', WesternAnimation/BugsBunny and WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse are Enforced examples of ThoseTwoGuys, as are WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck and WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck. When the production staff at Touchstone Pictures (an alternate label for Creator/{{Disney}}) went to Creator/WarnerBrothers for permission to use ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' characters in their film, Warner Brothers only agreed to let them use the A-listers Bugs and Daffy on the condition that they both receive ''exactly'' as much screentime as Mickey and Donald, respectively. The surefire way to honor that agreement was to have both characters share every scene with their {{Alternate Company Equivalent}}s, with neither character appearing without the other. [[note]] Although Bugs does briefly appear by himself early on if you know exactly where to look.[[/note]]
83	* ''Film/{{Jaws}}'' used MonsterDelay - and by extension NothingIsScarier - to prevent the audience from noticing the {{Special Effect Failure}}s associated with the shark animatronics. During production, they consistently suffered mechanical issues, making it difficult to film them for any extended duration of time, and Creator/StevenSpielberg expressed his lack of confidence in their convincibility. To work around these issues, early death scenes were shot and edited so that the audience would only see the ''impact'' of the shark attacks, rather than the shark itself.
84	[[/folder]]
85
86	[[folder:Literature]]
87	* ''Literature/LancelotTheKnightOfTheCart'' is an Myth/ArthurianLegend story from the 1100s, and -- given how information about a work's production gets lost over the centuries -- it's ''as clear'' an example as you'll find of an enforced trope from that period. ''The Knight of the Cart'' is the earliest text to include an affair between Queen Guinevere and Sir Lancelot, and it gives them a SympatheticAdulterer portrayal. Their relationship is sexy and romantic, no one finds out, and it does not cause the downfall of Camelot (as it would in later adaptations). The text is almost completely silent on the fact that this ''is'' adultery. Guinevere and Lancelot never talk or think about it, they're not guilty or conflicted about it. Discussion of adultery is bizarrely absent from a story that has adultery as its main plot. This was almost certainly enforced. ''The Knight of the Cart'' was written by Creator/ChretienDeTroyes under the patronage of Countess Marie de Champagne, and it begins with a forward where Chrétien credits Marie for the basic plot.
88	-->'''Forward:''' I will say, however, that her command has more to do with this work than any thought or pains that I may expend upon it. Here Chretien begins his book about the Knight of the Cart. The material and the treatment of it are given and furnished to him by the Countess, and he is simply trying to carry out her concern and intention.
89	:: This is to clarify this is an EnforcedTrope and not AuthorAppeal, lest anyone think it was ''Chrétien'' who was into adultery. It's thought that Marie (a noblewoman) was into the idea of a noblewoman having an affair with her knight and nobody suffering any consequences from it. She is also associated with the text ''Literature/TheArtOfCourtlyLove'', which is also about romanticized adultery. Chrétien, in contrast, is theorized to have been uncomfortable with this topic. His other works (''Literature/ErecAndEnide'' and ''Literature/YvainTheKnightOfTheLion'') are pro-marriage. He didn't even complete ''The Knight of the Cart'' and had his clerk, Godefroi de Leigni, finish it instead. The text's baffling silence on what's seemingly its central topic begins to makes sense if Chrétien didn't know how to justify adultery, or have them feel conflicted about it but still go ahead and have the affair despite that, so he just omitted that.
90	[[/folder]]
91
92	[[folder:TabletopGames]]
93	* The second edition of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' was written during and after [[TheNewRockAndRoll the Satanic Panic]] attacks on the game. Accordingly, editorial policy at TSR ensured NoCampaignForTheWicked. In all canon material, [=PCs=] were to be presented as heroes doing good things, and support for AntiHero and villain [=PCs=] was dropped as completely as possible, with the removal of such elements as the assassin class and half-orc race. They also had to rename demons and devils - demons being renamed tanar’ri and the devils being called baatezu.
94	[[/folder]]
95
96	[[folder:Theatre]]
97	* [[AppliedPhlebotinum "Fairy dust"]] wasn't originally part of the ''Franchise/PeterPan'' mythos, but was written into later performances as a necessary component for achieving {{flight}}. This was done as a response to children injuring themselves trying to replicate the stunts on the show, and to discourage any future children from following suit.
98	* SecondaryCharacterTitle shows up in many plays written around the time of Creator/WilliamShakespeare, specifically those that deal with historical monarchs and rulers. Because of the Elizabethan era's rigid social hierarchy, characters of higher social status had to set themselves apart from the commoners by speaking in verse, and plays always had to be named for the character of the highest social ranking--even if they weren't actually the protagonist. For example:
99	** In ''Theatre/JuliusCaesar'', the protagonist is Brutus.
100	** In ''Theatre/{{Cymbeline}}'', the protagonist is Cymbeline's daughter Imogen.
101	** In ''Theatre/HenryIV'', the protagonist is the young Prince Hal (who is later the protagonist in ''Theatre/HenryV'').
102	** In ''Theatre/HenryVI'', Part 1 is really about John Talbot's conflict with Joan of Arc, while the remaining two parts are really about the various nobles vying for power around King Henry VI.
103	** ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'', though fictional, might have had to follow that convention had Claudius not been clearly a murderer, and thus not a rightful king.
104	[[/folder]]
105
106	[[folder:VideoGames]]
107	* In the ''VideoGame/PunchOut'' series, [[TheProtagonist Little Mac]] [[DavidVersusGoliath is significantly shorter than his opponents]] because the NES game - the first to feature this character - was unable to replicate the wireframe effects of its arcade predecessor, and the player still needed to clearly see the opponent. Therefore, [[MeaningfulName Little Mac]] was made shorter in order to compensate for these technical limitations.
108	* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'':
109	** The reason why Knuckles is SuperGullible is [[https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2016/06/23/sonic-the-hedgehog-burning-questions-iizuka.aspx because]] the creators of ''VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles'' wanted him to be a credible [[TheRival rival]] to Sonic, yet convincingly pull a HeelFaceTurn by the end of Sonic's story, so that there would be [[JustifiedTrope justification]] for him being PromotedToPlayable [[AnotherSideAnotherStory in his own story]]. This was achieved by having the well-meaning guardian of the Master Emerald tricked by Eggman into antagonizing Sonic, then siding with Sonic while vowing {{revenge}} on Eggman once he realizes the truth.
110	** Sonic himself was DemotedToExtra in ''VideoGame/KnucklesChaotix'', while the titular character received ADayInTheLimelight, because Sega of Japan expected the Platform/Sega32x to be a flop (which it was), and wanted to minimize the damage the game would do to the franchise's brand image by reducing its namesake's role to [[spoiler:a cameo in the good ending's credit sequence]].
111	* During development of the original ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1'', the TropeNamer for TheGoomba came about when play testers commented on the Koopas being too tricky to defeat. With what little space was left in the game at that point in development, the designers implemented the square-height enemy with a basic movement pattern and complete vulnerability, so that less-experienced players could have something to overcome before they face off against more difficult enemies.
112	* The [[TheMoralSubstitute heavily moralistic angle]] of ''VideoGame/UltimaIV'' and its successors came from complaints from MoralGuardians about how previous games [[CrueltyIsTheOnlyOption incentivized the player to do evil things, like steal and murder, to get ahead in the game]]. Horrified by the response, creator Richard Garriot shifted the focus of his games from simple (in his words) [[BlackAndWhiteMorality "go kill the evil bad guy"]] stories into complex analyses of morality. This is also what led to the KarmaMeter the series would [[TropeCodifier codify]], and why the "Thief" class was replaced by the less morally-questionable "[[TheBard Bard]]" class.
113	[[/folder]]
114
115	[[folder:Web Animation]]
116	* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': In the Atlas Arc, DramaticIrony between what the audience and characters know is deliberately enforced by the writers to set the groundwork for what happens in Volume 9. Both Blake and Yang's affection for each other and Ruby's deteriorating mental health are teased to the audience; at the same time, characters [[EveryoneCanSeeIt increasingly notice]] Blake and Yang's behaviour while becoming increasingly divorced from Ruby's. The characters therefore act as an AudienceSurrogate for Blake and Yang while knowing less than the audience about Ruby. [[spoiler:The audience is left unsurprised by both Blake and Yang's BigDamnKiss and Ruby's mental breakdown in Volume 9, but the characters lampshade how long they've waited for Bumblebee and how caught off-guard they are by the scale of Ruby's mental health crisis. The writers confirmed using the characters as an AudienceSurrogate for the long awaited Blake/Yang romance while deliberately distracting them from being allowed to investigate Ruby too closely; the audience being far more aware of Ruby's state of mind than her companions contributes to Ruby's breakdown.]]
117	[[/folder]]
118
119	[[folder:Western Animation]]
120	* ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' enforced TheTonsillitisEpisode in the episode "Gerald's Tonsils." It was written around the time his voice actor hit puberty, and rather than replace him with another boy (or a [[CrossDressingVoices woman]]), they used tonsillitis to explain the deeper voice.
121	* In ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'', WesternAnimation/YosemiteSam was introduced as a VilerNewVillain to WesternAnimation/ElmerFudd when Creator/FrizFreleng considered the latter too UnintentionallySympathetic to pose as a credible antagonist to WesternAnimation/BugsBunny. While [[KarmicTrickster Bugs]] makes {{Butt Monkey}}s out of both villains, Yosemite Sam is an InsufferableImbecile that [[LaserGuidedKarma actually deserves Bugs' treatment]]; in contrast, Elmer Fudd became a VillainousUnderdog who was so [[TheEveryman mild-mannered]] and [[TheDitz dimwitted]] that it made Bugs look like a bully.
122	* Though unconfirmed, there are rumors that this is in place for ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'', insofar as to why Lincoln Loud and his ten sisters rarely if ever seem to share interests and hobbies and haven't had much character development: it's to keep the characters as distinct from each other as possible and prevent any misconception of Lincoln having a "favorite" sister.
123	* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
124	** GoodPrincessEvilQueen and PrincessesRule. Princess Celestia was a queen when the show was being planned, but Hasbro [[https://www.deviantart.com/comments/4/1603670/1791456540 asked the creator to make her a princess]] because children viewed princesses as good and queens as evil.
125	** The massive number of villains who pulled {{Heel Face Turn}}s and [[EasilyForgiven got off scot-free with instant forgiveness]] was reportedly [[ExecutiveMeddling mandated by higher]] according to animation director [[https://trixiebooru.org/1788329 Ishi Rudell]], presumably to push the show's theme of [[ThePowerOfFriendship the magic of friendship]].
126	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqegufDG4d4 According to Robby London]], ''WesternAnimation/SonicUnderground'' had NoEnding to prevent a PostscriptSeason, should the series have been picked up for another season (which it wasn't).
127	[[/folder]]
128
129	!!InUniverse Examples
130	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
131	* ''Manga/MonthlyGirlsNozakiKun'': Maeno, Miyako's manga editor, enforces GratuitousAnimalSidekick. He loves tanuki and has Miyako insert them into nearly every scene.
132	[[/folder]]
133
134	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
135	* ''Series/TheBoys2019'': After superheroine Maeve is outed as having a girlfriend, the [[CorporateSponsoredSuperhero corporate highers-up]] play up her status as an LGBT+ member of the team and enforce MasculineFeminineGayCouple onto her and her girlfriend. Elena is forced to don menswear, because:
136	-->'''Vought:''' Research has shown that two feminine women in a relationship sends a problematic message. Americans are more accepting of gays when they’re in a clear cut gender role relationship.
137	[[/folder]]
138

Context Main / EnforcedTrope