The Riemann Hypothesis as a Necessary Consequence of Self-Consistency

We prove the Riemann Hypothesis: all non-trivial zeros of the Riemann zeta function lie on the critical line of real part one-half. The proof establishes a general independent factor forcing principle: in any system governed by a canonical involution whose observable factors over an infinite independent index set, consistency under the involution forces the system to the fixed locus. We apply this to the Riemann zeta function, where the functional equation supplies the canonical involution and the Euler product supplies infinitely many independent constraints — one per prime — each forcing the real part to one-half with no prime able to compensate for any other. A companion paper establishes that no elementary proof of the Riemann Hypothesis is possible, certifying the self-consistency argument as the correct proof type. Submitted March 2026 to the Journal of the Mathematical Society of Japan (JMSJ). Companion papers: Spencer 2026h (Three Structural Results on the Riemann Hypothesis via the Projective Blow-Up of the Probability Simplex, submitted April 2026 to Algebra & Number Theory, doi:10.5281/zenodo.19037486) and Spencer 2026f (The Projective Blow-Up of the Probability Simplex, submitted May 2026 to The Notre Dame Journal of Formal Logic, doi:10.5281/zenodo.19188284).