History Main / TruceZone

* ''Manga/RestaurantToAnotherWorld:'' The Nekoya itself serves as this, albeit in an unofficial capacity. Rather than any sort of treaty or pact made, the various races all agree not to act out violently or disrupt the meals of each other. And it's not because one of the waitresses is literally ''an immortal entity of death'' either. No, it's because the Master has no problem revoking their privilege of the delicious food they go there to eat.

** [[AllThereInTheManual Supplemental material]] shows that New Birth Island is this for the war between Terra's kaiju factions. Primarily because its owner, Biollante, has declared herself neutral and will not ''allow'' the war to happen on her territory -- and since she's in the same power range as her brothers Godzilla and Xenilla, she can easily enforce that rule. However, it’s TheNeutralZone for anyone other then her brothers, Junior and Xen- any other kaiju who sets foot on the island or enters its airspace will be attacked on sight.

* All of [[SuperheroSchool Whateley Academy]] in the ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'' is considered a Truce Zone: its charter was put together by superheroes and supervillains and super-neutrals alike, and teenagers can attend high school there regardless of their intent or their sponsorship. There's even a recognized school club for children of supervillains, the Bad Seeds. There's also a school club called the Future Superheroes of America. The very few people and organisations who have ever disregarded the school's neutral status have always ended up regretting it because one thing that will get all but the ''really'' dedicated CardCarryingVillain types to sign up for an EnemyMine with the forces of good is [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes endangering their kids]].

** [[AllThereInTheManual Supplemental material]] shows that New Birth Island is this for the war between Terra's kaiju factions. Primarily because its owner, Biollante, has declared herself neutral and will not ''allow'' the war to happen on her territory -- and since she's in the same power range as her brothers Godzilla and Xenilla, she can easily enforce that rule.

* Little Lamplight in ''VideoGame/Fallout3'', no one in your party, not even Jericho, will dare draw weapons in the area.

* Film/JointSecurityArea is a Korean film about the titular location of the Korean Demiliterized Zone during the aftermath of a murder in which it appears that a South Korean soldier killed his North Korean counterpart.

* The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_City_of_Danzig Free City of Danzig]], located on the Baltic Sea and bordering on Poland and Germany, was formed in 1920 when the end of World War I saw many German territories broken off. It was recognized as independent by the League of Nations but fell to Hitler's invasion of Poland in 1939.
* The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanseatic_League Hanseatic League]] was a trading alliance dating back to the 1200s that controlled various free cities all over Europe. Some cities still retain the title although it is mostly honorary - the historical league partially fell apart in the 1600s and completely in 1862.

* The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_Security_Area Joint Security Area]] in the Korean Demilitarized Zone, shared between [[UsefulNotes/NorthKorea North]] and UsefulNotes/SouthKorea.

** The [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaesong_Industrial_Region Kaesong Industrial Region]] is a special example. While Kaesong is a city in North Korea and Pyongyang provides the labor, UsefulNotes/{{Seoul}} gets to provide the funds for the industry. The area is open to both nationals normally, but when tensions arise South Koreans pack up as fast as they can, only to return in a couple of days, sometimes months.

* UsefulNotes/HongKong had elements of this under the ninety-nine-year lease. Technically, it was a British territory inside Communist China. In ''practice'', it was an area with far less restrictive laws than the surrounding territories, which resulted in it gaining similar economic and criminal elements.

** ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': In the episode "Redemption", the capital city of Qo'noS is used as one between supporters of Gowron and supporters of the House of Duras in the midst of the Klingon Civil War. They still seem to be allowed to beat each other up and engage in various competitions, though for a ProudWarriorRace this might be largely indistinguishable from a typical Friday night.

* ''LightNovel/RebuildWorld'':
** The places [[WrongSideOfTheTracks in the slums]] where the Corporate Government distributes its free {{Nanomachine}} infested MysteryMeat and radioactive plant products for the inhabitants are somewhat of an example. Just don’t disorder the line, or you’ll be beaten to death [[MakeAnExampleOfThem to make an example]] and keep them from packing up and leaving. Akira has to calculate just how far to stand away from it to avoid that, but close enough to avoid his food being stolen.
** [[AdventureGuild Hunters Office]] locations serve as this, it’s said picking a fight within one is tantamount to attacking the city itself. This is why Akira chews out Erio for asking him to escort Sheryl to one.
** Yatsubiyashi’s slum clinic is an example out of fear of him refusing to treat wounded slum dwellers, which he does for free provided they allow him his PlayingWithSyringes.

** It held the same status in the prequel, ''LightNovel/FateZero''. [[spoiler:And it was played just as straight there: Assassin's Master used it as his base of operations after claiming sanctuary on false grounds.]]

Sister trope of HolyGround. If the truce is not tied to a specific location, it may be an EnforcedColdWar. Contrast TheNeutralZone, which despite sounding the same, is actually the opposite -- instead of both sides coexisting, neither side is allowed entry. Often combined with CityOfSpies, HubCity, ViceCity (in the seedier ones), and GoodGuyBar (and sometimes BadGuyBar). Sometimes includes (or is) a BazaarOfTheBizarre or InnBetweenTheWorlds. May well include a PowerNullifier and/or AntiMagic field for added security and deterrence; after all, Mr Joe Bulletproof is much less likely to start a fight if he's not so bulletproof after all. May also enforce their neutrality through some form of MagicallyBindingContract or {{Geas}}, usually with ''severe'' penalties for anyone who attempts to break the peace.

* In ''[[Fanfic/GuardiansWizardsAndKungFuFighters Guardians, Wizards, and Kung-Fu Fighters]]'', as part of [[KnowledgeBroker Ludmoore's]] status as officially neutral in all conflicts, his mansion serves as this. He does not allow violence between his visitors and will throw out and ban any offenders.

->''Gentlemen! Do I need to remind you that ''no business'' will be conducted on the Continental grounds?''
-->--'''Julius''', ''Film/JohnWickChapter2''

* The War Room in ''[[VideoGame/AdvanceWars Advance Wars: Days of Ruin]]''. It's even pointed out during one mission by two [=CO=]s from opposing sides.

* The Moon in ''Anime/ValvraveTheLiberator'' is one, as was supposedly the territory of Jior. Neither last very long as in the former, this only applies to humans (which does not include the protagonists thanks to some ''very shady'' semantics), and the latter was violated repeatedly by the antagonists of the series, the warmongering Dorssians, and their secret Shadow government, the council of 101.

** Marvel also has The Bar With No Name. While the place is mostly [[BadGuyBar villain-exclusive]], the proprietor claims an unwritten law that villains are safe while inside and any heroes that come in should treat them as ordinary customers. This hasn't stopped the likes of Spider-Man and Daredevil starting a brawl once or twice in the New York branch, however, or the Scourge of the Underworld from killing the bartender in Ohio and unleashing a full-blown massacre on multiple unsuspecting villains in his introductory arc.
* The comic book ''ComicBook/CommonGrounds'' was built around this. It is set at [[GoodGuyBar a coffee house]] that is considered neutral turf for both heroes and villains.

* ''Fanfic/CoincidenceAndMisunderstandings'' has the Eldritch Enclave, a place where any magic user can go and research to their heart's content. Breaking the rules of neutrality and nonviolence (including instigating others) can lead to banishment and being blacklisted as a warlock. Blacklisted magic users are stated to have a life expectancy of months as dictators, [[CorruptCorporateExecutive corrupt corporate executives]], and others know no one will come to help them. Even ComicBook/DoctorFate makes sure to follow the rules, even if he comes across his archenemy. Which makes Zatanna's continued antagonism of every Chaos aligned magic user there idiotic in the extreme.

* In the massive multicrossover fanfic ''Tales from the Barman'', Xander Harris' bar serves as this. It functions as a multiversal nexus point where characters from all across fiction come in and have a drink. His supply closet functions as a portal into his bar where the likes of Darkseid, Lady Death, Batman, Nick Fury, can sit down, have a drink, and go back to their business. As one character puts it, "The Batman could be looking to take you down and he wouldn't finger on you while you're in here. Even kill on sight enemies come in and drink without a hint of bloodshed."

* Film/JointSecurityArea is a Korean film about the titular location on the Korean Demiliterized Zone during the aftermath of a murder in which it appears that a South Korean soldier killed his North Korean counterpart.

---> '''Winston''': Miss Perkins, [[PremortemOneLiner your membership to the Continental has been, by thine own hand, revoked]].

** [[Film/JohnWickChapter3Parabellum The third film]] establishes that the [[GreaterScopeVillain High Table]] can revoke the neutrality of any Continental by declaring them "deconsecrated", which allows for violence to take place on the grounds again. [[spoiler: At the climax, [[MouthOfSauron the Adjudicator]] does to this to the New York Continental as punishment for John and Winston refusing to turn on each other, opening the way for an attack by the High Table's EliteMooks. Eventually, after Winston [[AmbiguousSituation apparently]] betrays John, the Continental's status is restored.]]

* Meetpoint station in the ''Literature/ChanurNovels'' is at the intersection of six alien race's territories. All of whom come there to trade.

* ''The Brotherhood of the Rose'' by David Morrell. Since the 1930's the major intelligence agencies have established safehouses and retirement villages where no agent can be arrested or harmed by the authorities or another agent. Anyone violating this agreement is tracked down and killed. [[spoiler:However the intelligence officials who originally made this agreement, and later their sons, have [[NotSoDifferentRemark realised it makes them no different]] and are working together to sabotage their nation's intelligence operations so that the Cold War doesn't get out of control.]] At one point the BigBad seeks refuge from an assassin in a retirement village, so the assassin wages a campaign of psychological warfare (harassing the BigBad, then making it look as if the BigBad is retaliating) until they're both expelled from the TruceZone for disturbing the peace.

--> '''Spike''': It's ''Halloween'' you nit! [[SeriousBusiness We take the night off!]]
* Caritas, the karaoke bar run by The Host/Lorne on ''Series/{{Angel}}'' was neutral ground, and via a spell demons were not able to use their powers there - but that didn't stop some humans from invading and killing a bunch of them with the non-supernatural power of Gun Violence. Worse the nature of the spell meant the demons couldn't even fight back, leading to a slaughter. It was rebuilt with new wards to keep anyone from committing violent acts, but that didn't stop [[spoiler:Daniel Holtz]] from throwing a firebomb in from ''outside.''

** TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms has such places, usually enforced with divine or overwhelming arcane power. 1st Edition supplement ''Forgotten Realms Adventures'': Temples of the deity Mask are neutral meeting sites for all thieves guilds in a town. Most trade cities do this, some more than others. Trademeet (a town on the crossroad of two major caravan routes) for centuries enjoyed Merchant’s Peace, said to be declared by Waukeen herself. There's a peer pressure to keep it in the merchant community, and the few who break it soon receive a beating with LaserGuidedKarma just shy of a BoltOfDivineRetribution -- e.g. a merchant who tried to hinder another and accidentally caused his drowning soon was hit with a storm which ended the moment he gone down, etc. [[TheNecrocracy Skullport]] -- a WretchedHive ruled by flying skulls who quickly suppress any open fighting. Sshamath -- TheMagocracy of drow who simply don't care about things that don't concern them or their trade and even for most creatures not getting along with dark elves elsewhere is a fairly safe place to visit -- as long as one doesn't breach the peace, that is.

* The bars in each hub level of ''VideoGame/KingpinLifeOfCrime'' are this, although this would have been far more significant had the game been released how the developers originally envisioned it, with multiple gangs fighting over turf and using the bars as places to hire grunts and enage in diplomacy.

** [=RuneScape's=] sister game/ spinoff [=DarkScape=], being a more PVP-oriented version of the game had three tiers of 'protection'. The Red Zone was lawless, kill or be killed. The Yellow Zone had guards patrolling the border if you had committed crime (i.e. you were skulled from attacking someone) they would attack you with top-tier spells and equipment. The Green Zone, found in most towns east of the Mountain, made it so that guards were everywhere, discouraging players from committing 'crimes' while in the Green Zone.

* The ''VideoGame/SenranKagura'' series has Hanzo's sushi restaurant function as one of these. Hanzo himself is a celebrated Good Shinobi, but his long career has made him comfortable with the GreyAndGrayMorality of the Shinobi lifestyle and he allows Evil Shinobi students to eat there and even fraternize with his granddaughter and her class mates (all Good Shinobi themselves). The truce is informal but enforced by the fact that it's Hanzo running the restaurant and any Shinobi who makes it to retirement age can break up a fight between trainees (or indeed, younger professionals) with his eyes closed.

** The Plane Of Knowledge is a city where no combat is allowed, and every one is welcome regardless of race,creed,or class. unsurprisingly, it tends to be the most populated zone in the game
** The Plane Of Tranquilty also doesn't allow any fighting, due to it being ruled by Quellious, the goddess of peace. The place serves as a HubLevel for the expansion, as there are portals to every other plane there.

* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'': Scipio, the headquarters of the Intergalactic Banking Clan has a neutral zone where representatives of both the Republic and Separatists can make requests for loans to help in their war effort. However, the neutrality of the IBC is dubious, with not only with their chairman being on the Separatist Council, but also attempting to put Rush Clovis as head of the IBC as a means to raise interest for the Republic's loans to levels that would bankrupt it while practically leaving the CIS alone on theirs.

* The Restaurant Karpics in Ankara during World War II was attended by diplomats, spies, and journalists of all sides.

* UsefulNotes/{{Berlin}} was a bizarro version of this during the UsefulNotes/ColdWar, as half of it was a Western city deep inside Eastern territory yet officially not part of UsefulNotes/WestGermany, and remained that way on the pretense that it was still one city occupied by the four Allies of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. As a result, military forces of the UK, France, the US, and USSR all remained in Berlin until the fall of the [[UsefulNotes/BerlinWall Wall]]... and besides becoming a CityOfSpies, commanders from opposing sides got to know each other a little. Particularly useful was the stipulation that Westerners could enter East Berlin on day passes.

* UsefulNotes/{{Lisbon}} was technically neutral ground during WW2, and was a hotbed of spies and military intelligence officers, although a slight bias towards the Allies (thanks to the treaty of eternal friendship that UsefulNotes/{{Portugal}} and UsefulNotes/{{England}} struck in ''1386''!) could be discerned - rumours that would take a good week to get to UsefulNotes/TheNazis would get to UsefulNotes/TheAllies within the day.

* The world of Phezzan in ''Anime/LegendOfGalacticHeroes'' is introduced as a politically neutral planet that sits at one of two possible routes between the Galactic Empire and the Free Worlds Alliance, despite being officially subjects of the Empire. As expected, there are a fair share of spies and refugees who cross between the two superpowers via this route.

** Marvel also has The Bar With No Name. While the place is mostly [[BadGuyBar villain-exclusive]], the proprietor claims an unwritten law that villains are safe while inside and any heroes that come in should treat them as ordinary customers. This hasn't stopped the likes of Spider-Man and Daredevil starting a brawl once or twice, however, or for the Scourge of the Underworld from killing the bartender and unleashing a full-blown massacre on multiple unsuspecting villains in his introductory arc.

* ''Fanfic/CoincidenceAndMisunderstandings'' has the Eldritch Enclave, a place where any magic user can go and research to their heart's content. Breaking the rules of neutrality and nonviolence (including instigating others) can lead to banishment and being blacklisted as a warlock. Blacklisted magic users are stated to have a life expectancy of months as dictators, [[CorruptCorporateExecutive corrupt corporate executives]], and others know no one will come to help them. Even ComicBook/DoctorFate makes sure to follow the rules, even if he comes across his archenemy. [[WhatAnIdiot Which makes Zatanna's continued antagonism of every Chaos aligned magic user there idiotic in the extreme]].

* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'': Magic is inherently associated with colour, to the extent that 'Green magic' refers to a theme, arcane specialism, tactic and philosophy, and the ten feuding guilds of Ravnica are each based on a pair of two of the five colours. Aptly, according to FlavorText lore, [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=chromatic+lantern any area illuminated by multiple colours of light is tradition-uphelp neutral space]].

Sister trope of HolyGround. Contrast TheNeutralZone, which despite sounding the same, is actually the opposite -- instead of both sides coexisting, neither side is allowed entry. Often combined with CityOfSpies, HubCity, ViceCity (in the seedier ones), and GoodGuyBar (and sometimes BadGuyBar). Sometimes includes (or is) a BazaarOfTheBizarre or InnBetweenTheWorlds. May well include a PowerNullifier and/or AntiMagic field for added security and deterrence; after all, Mr Joe Bulletproof is much less likely to start a fight if he's not so bulletproof after all. May also enforce their neutrality through some form of MagicallyBindingContract or {{Geas}}, usually with ''severe'' penalties for anyone who attempts to break the peace.

* In the massive multicrossover fanfic ''Tales from the Barman'', Xander Harris' bar serves as this. It functions as multiversal nexus point where characters from all across fiction come in and have a drink. His supply closet functions as a portal into his bar where the likes of Darkseid, Lady Death, Batman, Nick Fury, can sit down, have a drink, and go back to their business. As one character puts it, "The Batman could be looking to take you down and he wouldn't finger on you while you're in here. Even kill on sight enemies come in and drink without a hint of bloodshed."

* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'': Scipio, the headquarters of the Intergalactic Banking Clan has a neutral zone where representatives of both the Galactic Republic and Confederacy of Independent Systems can make requests for loans to help in their war effort. Although, the neutrality of the IBC is dubious to say the least, not only with their chairman being on the Separatist Council, but they also attempted to put Rush Clovis as head of the IBC as a means to raise interest for the Republic's loans to levels that would bankrupt it while practically leaving the CIS alone on theirs.

* Hong Kong is treated this way in ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' - "no guns, all business". Lau flees there when not only was his fraudulent business about to be uncovered by Wayne, but the mob’s money was about to be hit by Harvey Dent and Jim Gordon. Dent observes that Lau won’t be extradited by the Chinese government, and the mob believes Lau is safe from Dent’s jurisdiction. One of the reasons Batman is so damn scary for the mobsters that they cross the GodzillaThreshold and hire ComicBook/TheJoker is that, as Joker points out (and it's later demonstrated), Batman gives absolutely zero shits about "legal jurisdiction" and will hunt down any criminal he wants to the ends of the Earth if he has to.