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*''Anime/HelloSandybell'' is a {{melodrama}} that takes apart many stock SliceOfLife tropes like AmnesiacsAreInnocent, NobilityMarriesMoney, LonelyRichKid, AmnesiacsAreInnocent common in The80s anime.
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* ''Literature/TrappedInADatingSimTheWorldOfOtomeGamesIsToughForMobs'' deconstructs many Otome Isekai tropes with the most prominent being the whole concept. Marie trying to steal the role of the original game's protagonist has a huge major issue: she doesn't have any abilities of the original, which means the world is basically doomed.
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* ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'' -- "Love is a battlefield" as a literal concept is common in MagicalGirl, but most tend to forget that love, and especially young love, is inextricably linked with sexuality (and explorations thereof) and uncertain and non-absolute infatuations, often unrequited or with those with whom such a pairing would be socially unacceptable. And that's not even getting into RGU's regular savaging of traditional gender roles.
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* In its first few episodes, ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'' -- "Love is a battlefield" bit of an AffectionateParody of shoujo manga, particularly the stories that star a swashbuckling, crossdressing girl. Its presentation begs comparison to ''Manga/TheRoseOfVersailles'', which, as a literal concept is common in MagicalGirl, but most widely-known classic, Japanese audiences will pick up on right away.[[note]]English speakers, who are rarely exposed to the early greats of shoujo manga unless they specifically look for them, tend to forget that focus on MagicalGirl influences. They are salient, but to a lesser degree.[[/note]] Shoujo manga creates an in-between space where girls can vicariously be who they want to be, love who they want to love, and especially young love, is inextricably linked with sexuality (and explorations thereof) live out their dreams...until they become women and uncertain and non-absolute infatuations, often unrequited or with those with whom such a pairing would be socially unacceptable. And that's not even getting societal reality comes into RGU's regular savaging full effect. Magical girls lose their powers and become wives and mothers. In ''The Rose of traditional gender roles.Versailles'', the heroine rejects life as a woman and meets a tragic end. ''Revolutionary Girl Utena'' has a very conscious awareness of all this context, and approaches it from the perspective that these societal burdens hurt not just girls, but ''everyone''. It also makes a compelling case for shoujo manga as an optimal vehicle for stories of self-discovery.
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* ''Anime/{{Patlabor}}'' is a relentlessly hilarious satire of every element of HumongousMecha.
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* ''Anime/{{Patlabor}}'' ''Franchise/{{Patlabor}}'' is a relentlessly hilarious satire of every element of HumongousMecha.
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* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' -- Deconstructs IdiotHero (Naruto isn't an idiot, he just act like one because that's the only way he can get a brief moment of attention, and it's a defense mechanism against his depression), MessianicArchetype (Nagato via what happens when the universe goes out of its way to treat said archtype like crap), CosmicPlaything (out of four examples, all but Naruto have snapped somehow as a result and even then Naruto barely avoided snapping), AllGirlsWantBadBoys (Sakura), NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished (Kakashi suffered some major trauma as a result of what happened to his father), and revenge tropes in general (especially Sasuke).
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* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' -- Deconstructs IdiotHero (Naruto isn't an idiot, he just act like one because that's the only way he can get a brief moment of attention, and it's a defense mechanism against his depression), MessianicArchetype (Nagato via what happens when the universe goes out of its way to treat said archtype archetype like crap), CosmicPlaything (out of four examples, all but Naruto have snapped somehow as a result and even then Naruto barely avoided snapping), AllGirlsWantBadBoys (Sakura), NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished (Kakashi suffered some major trauma as a result of what happened to his father), and revenge tropes in general (especially Sasuke).
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* ''Anime/SchoolDays'', like the game it was based on (more on that in the VisualNovel section below), takes the HaremGenre and mashes it with SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome all the way to a [[MurderTheHypotenuse terrifying]] ending. Bluntly speaking, it deconstructs the HaremGenre by showing what would happen if a person became the focus of a harem, and instead of being oblivious to their affection, decided to take advantage of their love for someone to get sex out of them, and shows the toll that this would have on someone in a situation like this.
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* ''Anime/SchoolDays'', like the game it was based on (more on that in the VisualNovel section below), folder on the main page), takes the HaremGenre and mashes it with SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome all the way to a [[MurderTheHypotenuse terrifying]] ending. Bluntly speaking, it deconstructs the HaremGenre by showing what would happen if a person became the focus of a harem, and instead of being oblivious to their affection, decided to take advantage of their love for someone to get sex out of them, and shows the toll that this would have on someone in a situation like this.
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* ''Manga/{{Shiki}}'' to vampire fiction. Starts out as a regular undead invade village, heroic vampire hunter fights them off. By the end, we're all left wondering who the real monsters are.
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* ''Manga/{{Shiki}}'' ''Literature/{{Shiki}}'' to vampire fiction. Starts out as a regular undead invade village, heroic vampire hunter fights them off. By the end, we're all left wondering who the real monsters are.
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* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' -- Originally conceived as a deconstruction of the robot side of the SuperRobot genre, the second half of the series (and the movies) become a psychological evaluation of the so-called "[[AcePilot Hotshot Pilot]]", showing how fucked up they can be as far as wallowing in angst (a side effect of the show's creator going into therapy around the time the show began production). The show's original finale itself [[TakeThatAudience takes several swipes at the show's fanbase]], in particular targeting [[{{Shipping}} those who only cared about which girl Shinji would end up with]].
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* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' -- Originally conceived as was the first in a deconstruction while to attempt to answer a lot of the robot side [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality nagging questions]] about HumongousMecha series and anime in general and returns answers so simple, direct, and reasonable that they are some of the SuperRobot genre, most frightening or most awakening depending on the second half viewers interpretation.
** [[CompetenceZone Why are all the central protagonists the same age?]] Due to a quirk of theseries (and setting, 14 is the movies) current maximum pilot age, and the technology has been under development for their whole lives, so these children are all to some degree {{Tyke Bomb}}s.
** [[EmpathicWeapon Why would a vehicle care about its pilot's mental state?]] Because the vehicle is a SoulJar containing the soul of its pilot's mother.
** [[PlotTailoredToTheParty Why are the mecha's abilities so closely matched to their enemies?]] The "mecha" are actually lobotomized clones of the enemy species fitted with machinery to control them like {{Meat Puppet}}s by the pilots.
** [[HardWorkHardlyWorks How did the main character suddenly becomea psychological evaluation of the so-called "[[AcePilot Hotshot Pilot]]", showing how fucked up best fighter with zero experience?]] While the Evas follow orders, they can be as far as wallowing in angst (a side effect have wills of the show's creator going into therapy around the time the show began production). their own and are fully capable of independent action. The show's original finale itself [[TakeThatAudience takes several swipes at the show's fanbase]], in particular targeting [[{{Shipping}} those who pilot is only cared about which girl Shinji would end up with]].truly necessary to animate the Eva.
** [[CompetenceZone Why are all the central protagonists the same age?]] Due to a quirk of the
** [[EmpathicWeapon Why would a vehicle care about its pilot's mental state?]] Because the vehicle is a SoulJar containing the soul of its pilot's mother.
** [[PlotTailoredToTheParty Why are the mecha's abilities so closely matched to their enemies?]] The "mecha" are actually lobotomized clones of the enemy species fitted with machinery to control them like {{Meat Puppet}}s by the pilots.
** [[HardWorkHardlyWorks How did the main character suddenly become
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* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' -- Originally conceived as a deconstruction of the robot side of the SuperRobot genre, the second half of the series (and the movies) become a psychological evaluation of the so-called "[[AcePilot Hotshot Pilot]]", showing how fucked up they can be as far as wallowing in angst (a side effect of the show's creator going into therapy around the time the show began production). The show's original finale itself [[TakeThatAudience takes several swipes at the show's fanbase]], in particular targeting [[{{Shipping}} those who only cared about which girl Shinji would end up with]].
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* ''Anime/MagicalShoppingArcadeAbenobashi'' -- The whole frickin' point is basically to deconstruct a genre per episode. And then, halfway through, it shift gears and begins to deconstruct ''itself''.
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* ''Anime/MagicalShoppingArcadeAbenobashi'' -- The whole frickin' point is basically to deconstruct a genre per episode. And then, halfway through, it shift shifts gears and begins to deconstruct ''itself''.
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* ''Literature/GenkaiLevelOneKaraNoNariagari'' deconstructs as many isekai harem tropes as it can sink its teeth into. The human kindgom that summons Tetsuya and five other people wasn't looking for genuine heroes to protect them from an existential threat, regardless of what Meme says on her introduction. They were looking for shock troops and enforcers that they could exploit to be war weapons of mass destruction, and threw Tetsuya over a cliff when he failed to match up to their aesthetics, not to mention how much Tetsuya's life sucked because he was the stereotypical OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent GodlikeGamer and then became an adult and had to try and adapt to modern society...
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* ''Literature/GenkaiLevelOneKaraNoNariagari'' ''Literature/GenkaiLevel1KaraNoNariagari'' deconstructs as many isekai harem tropes as it can sink its teeth into. The human kindgom kingdom that summons Tetsuya and five other people wasn't looking for genuine heroes to protect them from an existential threat, regardless of what Meme says on her introduction. They were looking for shock troops and enforcers that they could exploit to be war weapons of mass destruction, and threw Tetsuya over a cliff when he failed to match up to their aesthetics, not to mention how much Tetsuya's life sucked because he was the stereotypical OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent GodlikeGamer and then became an adult and had to try and adapt to modern society...
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* ''LightNovel/GenkaiLevelOneKaraNoNariagari'' deconstructs as many isekai harem tropes as it can sink its teeth into. The human kindgom that summons Tetsuya and five other people wasn't looking for genuine heroes to protect them from an existential threat, regardless of what Meme says on her introduction. They were looking for shock troops and enforcers that they could exploit to be war weapons of mass destruction, and threw Tetsuya over a cliff when he failed to match up to their aesthetics, not to mention how much Tetsuya's life sucked because he was the stereotypical OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent GodlikeGamer and then became an adult and had to try and adapt to modern society...
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* ''LightNovel/GenkaiLevelOneKaraNoNariagari'' ''Literature/GenkaiLevelOneKaraNoNariagari'' deconstructs as many isekai harem tropes as it can sink its teeth into. The human kindgom that summons Tetsuya and five other people wasn't looking for genuine heroes to protect them from an existential threat, regardless of what Meme says on her introduction. They were looking for shock troops and enforcers that they could exploit to be war weapons of mass destruction, and threw Tetsuya over a cliff when he failed to match up to their aesthetics, not to mention how much Tetsuya's life sucked because he was the stereotypical OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent GodlikeGamer and then became an adult and had to try and adapt to modern society...
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* ''LightNovel/IsThisAZombie'' is very much not your normal magical girl series.
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* ''LightNovel/IsThisAZombie'' ''Literature/IsThisAZombie'' is very much not your normal magical girl series.
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* ''LightNovel/KokoroConnect'' disassembles every aspect of SliceOfLife high-school romance it can think of, FreakyFridayFlip and similar MagicalRealism tropes, and even the very concept of entertaining the audience.
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* ''LightNovel/KokoroConnect'' ''Literature/KokoroConnect'' disassembles every aspect of SliceOfLife high-school romance it can think of, FreakyFridayFlip and similar MagicalRealism tropes, and even the very concept of entertaining the audience.
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* ''Anime/{{Dancougar}}'' served as this for the SuperRobotGenre but managed to be interesting and entertaining enough on its own that you hardly notice the deconstructing.
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* ''Anime/{{Dancougar}}'' served as this for the SuperRobotGenre but managed to be interesting and entertaining enough on its own that you hardly notice the deconstructing.SuperRobotGenre.
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** Also a deconstruction of the SuperRobot anime that have FiveManBand teams. It's functionally a RealRobot take on a SuperRobot plotline, touching on how hard it would be for four people, each one HotBlooded to some degree and confident in their individual piloting skills, to control a CombiningMecha which requires all its pilots to operate in sync. The first transformation took place after a quarter of the show had passed (after the pilots got the hang of the transforming mechanics and their [[SuperMode Beast forms]]), and it ''actually failed'' since they have yet to learn how to suppress their ego and work effectively as a team.
** One of the show's most memorable moments is in Episode 17 when the BigBad actually ''follows'' the EvilOverlordList (five years before it was written, no less) and refuses to tell one of his generals after his defeat at the heroes' hands YouHaveFailedMe, instead praising him for his past accomplishments and telling him to go rest up for round two.
** One of the show's most memorable moments is in Episode 17 when the BigBad actually ''follows'' the EvilOverlordList (five years before it was written, no less) and refuses to tell one of his generals after his defeat at the heroes' hands YouHaveFailedMe, instead praising him for his past accomplishments and telling him to go rest up for round two.
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%%** "How would a MartialPacifist perform in a real, full-scale War ?" - Ryo in one episode.
** Alsoa deconstruction of the SuperRobot anime that have FiveManBand teams. It's functionally a RealRobot take on a SuperRobot plotline, touching touches on how hard it would be for four people, each one HotBlooded to some degree and confident in their individual piloting skills, to control a CombiningMecha which requires all its pilots to operate in sync. The first transformation took place after a quarter of the show had passed (after the pilots got the hang of the transforming mechanics and their [[SuperMode Beast forms]]), and it ''actually failed'' since they have yet to learn how to suppress their ego and work effectively as a team.
** One %%** Also a deconstruction of the show's most memorable moments is in Episode 17 when the BigBad actually ''follows'' the EvilOverlordList (five years before it was written, no less) and refuses to tell one of his generals after his defeat at the heroes' hands YouHaveFailedMe, instead praising him for his past accomplishments and telling him to go rest up for round two.Super Robot anime that have TheTeam. It's functionally a RealRobot take on a SuperRobot plotline.
** Also
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* ''Manga/{{Saikano}}'': [[MagicalGirlfriend So your shy, timid girlfriend turned out to have actually been a secret government human superweapon all along?]] Expect suffering, my friend. Lots and lots][[SerialEscalation and lots]] of it.
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* ''Manga/{{Saikano}}'': [[MagicalGirlfriend So your shy, timid girlfriend turned out to have actually been a secret government human superweapon all along?]] Expect suffering, my friend. Lots and lots][[SerialEscalation lots [[SerialEscalation and lots]] of it.
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* ''LightNovel/TheCreationAlchemistEnjoysFreedom'' showcases what happens when KlingonScientistsGetNoRespect is taken to its logical conclusion. While blacksmiths are tolerated, since they can at least swing a hammer, most of the other support classes, especially [Alchemist] are scorned. As such, the empire's infrastructure and technology has been in decline for at least a century, and the empire's most vaulted [Holy] weapons are falling apart, due to lack of maintenance. In fact, the main character was in the process of repairing the holy sword ''belonging to the crown princess'' before his own father has him kidnapped, berated as "useless" and "incompetent" and being shipped off to the demon king country, '''expected to die there'''. The reason the empire has this mindset? They're emulating summoned "Heroes" who valued combat utility over all else, out of sheer necessity.
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* ''LightNovel/TheCreationAlchemistEnjoysFreedom'' ''Literature/TheCreationAlchemistEnjoysFreedom'' showcases what happens when KlingonScientistsGetNoRespect is taken to its logical conclusion. While blacksmiths are tolerated, since they can at least swing a hammer, most of the other support classes, especially [Alchemist] are scorned. As such, the empire's infrastructure and technology has been in decline for at least a century, and the empire's most vaulted [Holy] weapons are falling apart, due to lack of maintenance. In fact, the main character was in the process of repairing the holy sword ''belonging to the crown princess'' before his own father has him kidnapped, berated as "useless" and "incompetent" and being shipped off to the demon king country, '''expected to die there'''. The reason the empire has this mindset? They're emulating summoned "Heroes" who valued combat utility over all else, out of sheer necessity.
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* ''LightNovel/FateZero'', following the example of its [[VisualNovel/FateStayNight predecessor]], deconstructs heroism tropes, this time especially the concept of the IDidWhatIHadToDo TheNeedsOfTheMany-style AntiHero and the WellIntentionedExtremist, as well as some interesting and bizarre musings on the notion of being the villain of a story.
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* ''LightNovel/FateZero'', ''Literature/FateZero'', following the example of its [[VisualNovel/FateStayNight predecessor]], deconstructs heroism tropes, this time especially the concept of the IDidWhatIHadToDo TheNeedsOfTheMany-style AntiHero and the WellIntentionedExtremist, as well as some interesting and bizarre musings on the notion of being the villain of a story.
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* ''LightNovel/{{Maoyu}}'' deconstructs popular cliches of the fantasy genre. It begins by explaining how killing the EvilOverlord does not necessarily end the world's problems. In fact, the true way of achieving world peace is not through brute force, but through a combination of military, economic, diplomatic, political and social reforms.
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* ''LightNovel/{{Maoyu}}'' ''Literature/{{Maoyu}}'' deconstructs popular cliches of the fantasy genre. It begins by explaining how killing the EvilOverlord does not necessarily end the world's problems. In fact, the true way of achieving world peace is not through brute force, but through a combination of military, economic, diplomatic, political and social reforms.
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* ''LightNovel/ReZero'' takes great pains to critically examine many tropes present not just in the typical {{NEET}} TrappedInAnotherWorld plotline, but aspects of high fantasy and the concept of [[SatelliteCharacter supporting cast]]. Rather than a straightforward fantasy of 'fight monsters' and 'defeat a great evil' the driving goal of the series is more political in nature, and both the characters and the setting have complex, interlocking backstories that Subaru (and the audience) learn about as time goes on. In fact, the Witch of Envy (who would normally fit the role of BigBad in this type of story) was defeated ''centuries'' ago [[spoiler:and is implied to be what summoned Subaru in the first place]], with much of the challenges faced arising from the legacy left behind by both her and her fellow Witches, and being the cause of FantasticRacism that plagues Emilia in the present.
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* ''LightNovel/ReZero'' ''Literature/ReZero'' takes great pains to critically examine many tropes present not just in the typical {{NEET}} TrappedInAnotherWorld plotline, but aspects of high fantasy and the concept of [[SatelliteCharacter supporting cast]]. Rather than a straightforward fantasy of 'fight monsters' and 'defeat a great evil' the driving goal of the series is more political in nature, and both the characters and the setting have complex, interlocking backstories that Subaru (and the audience) learn about as time goes on. In fact, the Witch of Envy (who would normally fit the role of BigBad in this type of story) was defeated ''centuries'' ago [[spoiler:and is implied to be what summoned Subaru in the first place]], with much of the challenges faced arising from the legacy left behind by both her and her fellow Witches, and being the cause of FantasticRacism that plagues Emilia in the present.
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* ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'' -- What do you mean "[[GenreBusting we should stay in one genre?]]" If we did that, Kyon wouldn't get to [[DeadpanSnarker snark at them]]!
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* ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'' ''Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya'' -- What do you mean "[[GenreBusting we should stay in one genre?]]" If we did that, Kyon wouldn't get to [[DeadpanSnarker snark at them]]!
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* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' -- Originally conceived as a deconstruction of the robot side of the SuperRobot genre, the second half of the series (and the movies) become a psychological evaluation of the so-called "[[AcePilot Hotshot Pilot]]", showing how fucked up they can be as far as wallowing in angst (a side effect of the show's creator going into therapy around the time the show began production). The show's original finale itself [[TakeThatAudience takes several swipes at the show's fanbase]], in particular targeting [[{{Shipping}} those who only cared about which girl Shinji would end up with]].
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* ''LightNovel/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'' [[DeconstructorFleet/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero has its own page.]]
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* ''LightNovel/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'' ''Literature/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'' [[DeconstructorFleet/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero has its own page.]]
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* ''LightNovel/TheCreationAlchemistEnjoysFreedom'' showcases what happens when KlingonScientistsGetNoRespect is taken to its logical conclusion. While blacksmiths are tolerated, since they can at least swing a hammer, most of the other support classes, especially [Alchemist] are scorned. As such, the empire's infrastructure and technology has been in decline for at least a century, and the empire's most vaulted [Holy] weapons are falling apart, due to lack of maintenance. In fact, the main character was in the process of repairing the holy sword ''belonging to the crown princess'' before his own father has him kidnapped, berated as "useless" and "incompetent" and being shipped off to the demon king country, '''expected to die there'''. The reason the empire has this mindset? They're emulating summoned "Heroes" who valued combat utility over all else, out of sheer necessity.
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* ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' portrays a HighFantasy world where kingdoms are constantly at war and things like demons, magic and gods are completely real. The results are horrifying.
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* ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' portrays a HighFantasy world where kingdoms are constantly at war and things like demons, magic and gods are completely real. [[CrapsackWorld The results are horrifying.]]
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merged tropes
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* ''Manga/{{Uwakoi}}'' and ''Aki Sora'', both by Masahiro Itosugi, collectively take the most infamous tropes associated with the ecchi and harem genres - BastardGirlfriend, BrotherSisterIncest, ExtremeDoormat, HormoneAddledTeenager, TheDitherer, UnwantedHarem, {{Yandere}}, etc. - and plays them all for realistic drama and/or psychological horror.
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* ''Manga/{{Uwakoi}}'' and ''Aki Sora'', both by Masahiro Itosugi, collectively take the most infamous tropes associated with the ecchi and harem genres - BastardGirlfriend, BrotherSisterIncest, ExtremeDoormat, FetishizedAbuser, HormoneAddledTeenager, TheDitherer, UnwantedHarem, {{Yandere}}, etc. - and plays them all for realistic drama and/or psychological horror.
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** Also touches on how hard it would be for four people, each one HotBlooded to some degree and confident in their individual piloting skills, to control a CombiningMecha which requires all its pilots to operate in sync. The first transformation took place after a quarter of the show had passed (after the pilots got the hang of the transforming mechanics and their [[SuperMode Beast forms]]), and it ''actually failed'' since they have yet to learn how to suppress their ego and work effectively as a team.
** Also a deconstruction of the Super Robot anime that have FiveManBand teams. It's functionally a RealRobot take on a SuperRobot plotline.
** Also a deconstruction of the Super Robot anime that have FiveManBand teams. It's functionally a RealRobot take on a SuperRobot plotline.
to:
** Also touches a deconstruction of the SuperRobot anime that have FiveManBand teams. It's functionally a RealRobot take on a SuperRobot plotline, touching on how hard it would be for four people, each one HotBlooded to some degree and confident in their individual piloting skills, to control a CombiningMecha which requires all its pilots to operate in sync. The first transformation took place after a quarter of the show had passed (after the pilots got the hang of the transforming mechanics and their [[SuperMode Beast forms]]), and it ''actually failed'' since they have yet to learn how to suppress their ego and work effectively as a team.
** Also a deconstruction of the Super Robot anime that have FiveManBand teams. It's functionally a RealRobot take on a SuperRobot plotline.team.
** Also a deconstruction of the Super Robot anime that have FiveManBand teams. It's functionally a RealRobot take on a SuperRobot plotline.
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* ''Anime/{{Dancougar}}'' served as this for the SuperRobotGenre but managed to be interesting and entertaining enough on its own that you hardly notice the deconstructing.
** "Why does the [[TheEmpire evil alien empire]] fool around with the MonsterOfTheWeek trying to take down a ''lone'' mecha instead of launching a full-scale invasion right away?" - Show premise.
** "How would a HotBlooded pilot actually fit and cooperate with a military?" NiceJobBreakingItHero moments occur on more than one occasion.
** Also touches on how hard it would be for four people, each one HotBlooded to some degree and confident in their individual piloting skills, to control a CombiningMecha which requires all its pilots to operate in sync. The first transformation took place after a quarter of the show had passed (after the pilots got the hang of the transforming mechanics and their [[SuperMode Beast forms]]), and it ''actually failed'' since they have yet to learn how to suppress their ego and work effectively as a team.
** Also a deconstruction of the Super Robot anime that have FiveManBand teams. It's functionally a RealRobot take on a SuperRobot plotline.
** One of the show's most memorable moments is in Episode 17 when the BigBad actually ''follows'' the EvilOverlordList (five years before it was written, no less) and refuses to tell one of his generals after his defeat at the heroes' hands YouHaveFailedMe, instead praising him for his past accomplishments and telling him to go rest up for round two.
** "Why does the [[TheEmpire evil alien empire]] fool around with the MonsterOfTheWeek trying to take down a ''lone'' mecha instead of launching a full-scale invasion right away?" - Show premise.
** "How would a HotBlooded pilot actually fit and cooperate with a military?" NiceJobBreakingItHero moments occur on more than one occasion.
** Also touches on how hard it would be for four people, each one HotBlooded to some degree and confident in their individual piloting skills, to control a CombiningMecha which requires all its pilots to operate in sync. The first transformation took place after a quarter of the show had passed (after the pilots got the hang of the transforming mechanics and their [[SuperMode Beast forms]]), and it ''actually failed'' since they have yet to learn how to suppress their ego and work effectively as a team.
** Also a deconstruction of the Super Robot anime that have FiveManBand teams. It's functionally a RealRobot take on a SuperRobot plotline.
** One of the show's most memorable moments is in Episode 17 when the BigBad actually ''follows'' the EvilOverlordList (five years before it was written, no less) and refuses to tell one of his generals after his defeat at the heroes' hands YouHaveFailedMe, instead praising him for his past accomplishments and telling him to go rest up for round two.
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Terminology
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* ''Manga/MedakaBox'' has pretty much become this. [[ExaggeratedTrope Exaggerating]] shonen tropes (especially those found in ''Magazine/ShonenJump'') while also showing [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity issues]] that come with the characters having such off the wall powers, and even deconstructs the concepts of the GodModeSue and InvincibleHero.
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* ''Manga/MedakaBox'' has pretty much become this. [[ExaggeratedTrope Exaggerating]] shonen tropes (especially those found in ''Magazine/ShonenJump'') while also showing [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity issues]] that come with the characters having such off the wall powers, and even deconstructs the concepts of the GodModeSue and InvincibleHero.InvincibleHero with many a ParodySue.
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* ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' portrays a HighFantasy world where kingdoms are constantly at war and things like demons, magic and gods are completely real. The results are horrifying.
* ''Manga/{{Bokurano}}'': Just because a cosmic entity [[PoweredByAForsakenChild grants children gigantic mecha to pilot]] doesn't mean they'll necessarily use those mechs for the sake of good.
* ''Manga/CaseClosed'' upon closer inspection deconstructs all sorts of genres through the backstories of the people involved in the cases. It ranges from whodunit murder mysteries to convuluted soap operas or even romantic comedies. One case about a ripped up baseball penant seems like something out of a sports underdog story.
* ''Anime/CodeGeass'' shows what happens when characters from a high school anime with their angst, idealism and silly crushes get involved in a ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' setting.
* ''Anime/DarkerThanBlack'' does its best to play with as many [[StockSuperpowersIndex superpower tropes]] as it can, and often deconstructs them. For starters: RequiredSecondaryPowers is either often exploited, or forgotten about, resulting in the deaths of many characters.
* ''Anime/DigimonTamers'' is another {{Mons}} deconstruction. Remember the first [[Anime/DigimonAdventure two]] [[Anime/DigimonAdventure02 seasons]]? They're all fake, nothing more than a kids TV show and merchandise franchise. ThisIsReality. The show explores how much damage real {{Mons}} could potentially cause to a cityscape, the consequences of endlessly trying to make your mon stronger (both for the mon and the Tamer), and the psychological problems that could result from being too attached to your mon.
* ''Franchise/DragonBall'' has a few deconstructed tropes. Attempts by main characters to [[SuicideAttack kamikaze the villains]] are rarely, if ever, met with success, despite all the weight that is often put into these decisions. Both Tien AND Chaiotzu failed to make their ones on Nappa stick, Vegeta's attempt to pull one on Majin Buu was rendered useless, and Gohan's last stand against the Androids in the "History of Trunks" special just ended up making things ''worse'' for humanity. Really, the few that actually worked tended to involve Goku, be it keeping Raditz at bay for Piccolo's Special Beam Cannon to work, or teleporting Cell off-planet to stop the world from blowing up (and even ''that'' didn't end up killing Cell).
* ''Manga/ExcelSaga'': Technically it is a satire mocking the Japanese recession, but every little thing, no matter how mundane or boring, is depicted as [[MundaneMadeAwesome totally awesome]]. [[Anime/ExcelSaga The anime]] meanwhile, parodies a different movie or television genre [[OnceAnEpisode each episode]].
* ''LightNovel/FateZero'', following the example of its [[VisualNovel/FateStayNight predecessor]], deconstructs heroism tropes, this time especially the concept of the IDidWhatIHadToDo TheNeedsOfTheMany-style AntiHero and the WellIntentionedExtremist, as well as some interesting and bizarre musings on the notion of being the villain of a story.
* ''Anime/{{FLCL}}'', but PlayedForLaughs and {{Mind Screw}}s.
* ''Manga/{{Gantz}}'': The author himself said that he laid out to subvert as many tropes as possible with the series. One might argue the prime example here is FirstPersonShooter, as in ''being'' inside a FirstPersonShooter would be horrible.
* ''LightNovel/GenkaiLevelOneKaraNoNariagari'' deconstructs as many isekai harem tropes as it can sink its teeth into. The human kindgom that summons Tetsuya and five other people wasn't looking for genuine heroes to protect them from an existential threat, regardless of what Meme says on her introduction. They were looking for shock troops and enforcers that they could exploit to be war weapons of mass destruction, and threw Tetsuya over a cliff when he failed to match up to their aesthetics, not to mention how much Tetsuya's life sucked because he was the stereotypical OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent GodlikeGamer and then became an adult and had to try and adapt to modern society...
* ''Manga/HayateTheCombatButler'' subverts, averts, deconstructs, and [[StealthParody stealth parodies]] HaremGenre tropes as much as possible.
* ''Manga/HeavensLostProperty'' [[DeconstructiveParody mostly pokes fun at many harem tropes]] and tropes such as MessianicArchetype. One standout case however is Chaos who is walking deconstruction of WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove, and unlike the rest it is not played for laughs. She shows what happens when you try to teach someone love who literally doesn't have any understanding of the concept and stuff such as LoveHurts are taken frighteningly literally.
* ''Anime/IrresponsibleCaptainTylor'' -- SpaceOpera, completely PlayedForLaughs.
* ''LightNovel/IsThisAZombie'' is very much not your normal magical girl series.
* ''Manga/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar'' loves to make fun of romance manga tropes by either [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome giving them realistic outcomes]], or utilizing them in a tongue-in-cheek fashion. The very premise of the series is a deconstruction of CannotSpitItOut, as Kaguya and Shirogane waste ''so'' much time dancing around their feelings for each other, [[spoiler:that when they finally do get together, Shirogane only has a few months before he has to go overseas for college.]]
* ''Anime/KeyTheMetalIdol'' -- One of the first truly brilliant Anime {{Mind Screw}}s, it also sinks its teeth into numerous works and tropes of fiction, including Pinocchio/ BecomeARealBoy, MiniMecha, Real Mecha, Super Mecha, EccentricMentor, IdolSinger, and MagicalGirl, in addition to [[spoiler:subverting and deconstructing the EmotionlessGirl and RobotGirl archetypes [[UnbuiltTrope before they were much of a thing in anime to begin with]]]].
* ''LightNovel/KokoroConnect'' disassembles every aspect of SliceOfLife high-school romance it can think of, FreakyFridayFlip and similar MagicalRealism tropes, and even the very concept of entertaining the audience.
* Haruka Kotoura of ''Manga/KotouraSan'' could have been a classic {{Moe}} protagonist and is one deep down. The problem is that her {{Telepathy}} [[PowerIncontinence cannot be turned off]] so she's unable to distinguish between speech and thought. [[HowWeGotHere In her backstory]], she grew up in a society where [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatemae Tatemae]] is a commonplace concept. [[BreakTheCutie It did not end well for her at all]]. As a result, many of her major character tropes are either [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]], PlayedForDrama, or they are simply cynical in nature.
** This hypothetical situation also explores the implications of Tatemae's validity. Is it worth the risk of BecomingTheMask just so you can belong in society? Is it really okay to hurt and [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer shun]] the HonestAdvisor [[InnocentlyInsensitive who may not know better if at all]]? Does this promote a truly happy society or a CrapsaccharineWorld?
* ''Manga/MagicalRecordLyricalNanohaForce'' take some SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome. Since the antagonists are adults and choose their own [[TookALevelInJerkass path]], this series deconstructs some concepts of entire Nanoha franchise, especially the mainstay DefeatMeansFriendship. As usual, the heroes always use the usual friendly approach to the villains, but the villains use the advantage to get away with things, leading to more stubbornness and aggression for the villains or even running away. In an example of Administrivia/TropesAreTools, these changes were almost universally hated by the fandom, resulting in the series being put on indefinite hiatus and relegated to FanonDiscontinuity.
* ''Anime/MagicalShoppingArcadeAbenobashi'' -- The whole frickin' point is basically to deconstruct a genre per episode. And then, halfway through, it shift gears and begins to deconstruct ''itself''.
* ''LightNovel/{{Maoyu}}'' deconstructs popular cliches of the fantasy genre. It begins by explaining how killing the EvilOverlord does not necessarily end the world's problems. In fact, the true way of achieving world peace is not through brute force, but through a combination of military, economic, diplomatic, political and social reforms.
* ''Manga/MedakaBox'' has pretty much become this. [[ExaggeratedTrope Exaggerating]] shonen tropes (especially those found in ''Magazine/ShonenJump'') while also showing [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity issues]] that come with the characters having such off the wall powers, and even deconstructs the concepts of the GodModeSue and InvincibleHero.
* Creator/YoshiyukiTomino is practically a one-man Deconstructor Fleet.
** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' deconstructs the then-prevailing {{Mecha}} trend of overpowered {{Super Robot}}s, thus creating the RealRobot genre.
*** The mecha that would have otherwise taken on the role of the titular super robot is a hell of a hassle despite being super, simply because it's so cutting edge to the point of being hard to maintain. By the end of the One Year War, it has difficultly responding to Amuro because it lacks the hardware to keep up with his [[PsychicPowers Newtype reflexes.]]
*** The protagonist Amuro Ray, despite his intelligence, is a teenage boy who acts like one. He angsts over his role, clashes with the military chain of command, and leaves White Base at one point before growing into his role as pilot. He's not the team leader either and remains subordinate to [[TheCaptain Bright Noa]] throughout. Amuro also never gets together with [[DidNotGetTheGirl either love interest.]] He accidentally kills Lalah and fails to notice the affections of Fraw.
*** The series goes on to show that The Principality of Zeon despite being a Nazi-esque military dictatorship has sympathetic and likeable characters like Ramba Ral, Garma Zabi, and Char Aznable, averting straight BlackAndWhiteMorality.
*** The sequel series ''Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam'' has the Federation, the good guys in the original series, creating the Titans to hunt down Zeon remnants, only for them to become corrupt and commit the same atrocities Zeon engaged in. This brings the original heroes and Char together to stop them.
** ''Anime/MobileSuitVictoryGundam'' deconstructs the rest of the franchise's Universal Century side, given that it was produced during Tomino's emotional lowest point against Sunrise's endless ExecutiveMeddling. It tells everything buried deep in Tomino's mind about the commercial reality in the anime industries. Tomino himself has admitted regret that the show ened up as dark as it did.
** The Universal Century in general is itself a deconstruction of the sort of ideas, tropes and lofty aspirations that inspire the likes of ''Franchise/StarTrek'', which is further highlighted by works like ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamUnicorn''. If there are strange new worlds to see, expect them to have a lot of the same problems we deal with on Earth. And expect humanity to bring its conflicts, bloodshed and hubris to the stars.
* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'' deconstructs the rest of the Gundam franchise. It even has the [[Creator/ToruFuruya voice actor]] of [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam the original hero]] play the BigBad.
* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamAGE'' deconstructs the mindset of the Kid Hero of the first generation -- does he believe in achieving peace to both sides? Nope, he considers the Vagan as irredeemable monsters no matter what, and he holds this belief throughout his life; not even his son and grandson can change his mind on that. [[spoiler: At least not until the last minute.]]
* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' -- Deconstructs IdiotHero (Naruto isn't an idiot, he just act like one because that's the only way he can get a brief moment of attention, and it's a defense mechanism against his depression), MessianicArchetype (Nagato via what happens when the universe goes out of its way to treat said archtype like crap), CosmicPlaything (out of four examples, all but Naruto have snapped somehow as a result and even then Naruto barely avoided snapping), AllGirlsWantBadBoys (Sakura), NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished (Kakashi suffered some major trauma as a result of what happened to his father), and revenge tropes in general (especially Sasuke).
* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' -- Originally conceived as a deconstruction of the robot side of the SuperRobot genre, the second half of the series (and the movies) become a psychological evaluation of the so-called "[[AcePilot Hotshot Pilot]]", showing how fucked up they can be as far as wallowing in angst (a side effect of the show's creator going into therapy around the time the show began production). The show's original finale itself [[TakeThatAudience takes several swipes at the show's fanbase]], in particular targeting [[{{Shipping}} those who only cared about which girl Shinji would end up with]].
* ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub'' -- Joyfully mocks the reverse-harem shoujo genre it often falls straight into.
* ''Anime/{{Patlabor}}'' is a relentlessly hilarious satire of every element of HumongousMecha.
** They're rarely over a dozen meters tall, so as not to crush their own feet. And one tripping will still take out a house. They don't even walk long distances; they're stored at construction sites like any other piece of heavy equipment, and the Patlabors are transported to combat scenes in their own specialized trucks.
** FallingIntoTheCockpit is impossible as they're complicated as hell; Noa teaching her mech to tie a shoelace knot is considered proof of her being a genius pilot. Most people can't do much with even a SuperPrototype robot even if they find themselves piloting one.
** Weapons are scaled-up versions of conventional firearms; a laser shows up in a single two-part episode, but never seen again -- it destroyed all its foes, but it was ''[[AwesomeButImpractical too delicate and expensive]].''
** WarForFunAndProfit is neither fun nor profitable; Schaft Enterprises makes an attempt to pit one of their military prototypes against the police's Ingram in pursuit of combat data. What followed was ridiculously stupid, as the only people they could find willing to do such a ridiculously stupid thing were some deadbeat stoner BombThrowingAnarchists - who fled the scene once they ''realized'' how ridiculously stupid the whole thing was.[[note]]Of course, the whole Griffon plotline, from Brocken fighting Ingram to collect its data to the Griffon itself, is a ''huge'' ShoutOut to [[Anime/{{Gigantor}} Tetsujin No. 28]]. Simply replace Brocken and Griffon with Baccus and Black Ox and the whole thing should be clearer.[[/note]]
* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' -- While being selfish in most MagicalGirl shows makes you the villain or the AlphaBitch, using your [[DealWithTheDevil wish]] to help others might lead to them to [[GoMadFromTheRevelation question everything]], unknowingly take your help and [[ExactWords forget you]], or [[spoiler:[[GroundhogDayLoop cause their suffering to build over multiple timelines.]]]] [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone And you get to have all the fun of watching it happen and knowing you caused it.]]
** The show calls attention to the fact that these untrained, unprepared youths are liable to actually ''die'' in their fights with the Witches, as well as the psychological damage it entails.
** ''Rebellion'', the series' sequel, also attacks its fair share of tropes. Most prominently, how disturbing would it actually be to love only one person, to the exclusion of ''[[TheFourLoves all other]]'' relationships? Rebellion also features the portrayal of the characters in a more standard magical girl setting, with one of them realizing that it's not what their setting is actually like.
* ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'' -- "Love is a battlefield" as a literal concept is common in MagicalGirl, but most tend to forget that love, and especially young love, is inextricably linked with sexuality (and explorations thereof) and uncertain and non-absolute infatuations, often unrequited or with those with whom such a pairing would be socially unacceptable. And that's not even getting into RGU's regular savaging of traditional gender roles.
** And speaking of a Creator/KunihikoIkuhara anime that savages traditional gender roles at every turn and traffics in some very subversive ideas about how certain kinds of love are portrayed in Japanese media, let's talk about ''Anime/YuriKumaArashi''...
* ''LightNovel/ReZero'' takes great pains to critically examine many tropes present not just in the typical {{NEET}} TrappedInAnotherWorld plotline, but aspects of high fantasy and the concept of [[SatelliteCharacter supporting cast]]. Rather than a straightforward fantasy of 'fight monsters' and 'defeat a great evil' the driving goal of the series is more political in nature, and both the characters and the setting have complex, interlocking backstories that Subaru (and the audience) learn about as time goes on. In fact, the Witch of Envy (who would normally fit the role of BigBad in this type of story) was defeated ''centuries'' ago [[spoiler:and is implied to be what summoned Subaru in the first place]], with much of the challenges faced arising from the legacy left behind by both her and her fellow Witches, and being the cause of FantasticRacism that plagues Emilia in the present.
* ''LightNovel/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'' [[DeconstructorFleet/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero has its own page.]]
* ''Manga/RosarioPlusVampire'': In recent years Ikeda has taken it upon himself to ask what sort of background the girls in an UnwantedHarem might have come from, and to highlight the impact of being the RomanticRunnerUp in such a relationship. It also shows how dangerous it is to be TheTeamNormal and the possible adverse [[BodyHorror physical]] and [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity psychological]] effects of an EmergencyTransformation. Not to mention Kahlua shows just how [[BerserkerTears messed up]] being a PunchClockVillain can make you.
* ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'' -- Deconstructs many aspects of the [[TheDrifter Wandering Samurai]] [[note]]Not that Kenshin WAS one, mind you[[/note]] found in the JidaiGeki genre.
* ''Manga/{{Saikano}}'': [[MagicalGirlfriend So your shy, timid girlfriend turned out to have actually been a secret government human superweapon all along?]] Expect suffering, my friend. Lots and lots][[SerialEscalation and lots]] of it.
* ''Anime/SchoolDays'', like the game it was based on (more on that in the VisualNovel section below), takes the HaremGenre and mashes it with SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome all the way to a [[MurderTheHypotenuse terrifying]] ending. Bluntly speaking, it deconstructs the HaremGenre by showing what would happen if a person became the focus of a harem, and instead of being oblivious to their affection, decided to take advantage of their love for someone to get sex out of them, and shows the toll that this would have on someone in a situation like this.
* ''Manga/ShadowStar'' -- Like ''Digimon Tamers'', this one really digs into the darker implications of the {{Mon}} subgenre, but the vein in which it does so is closer to ''Bokurano'''s take on the subject, asking the viewer what sort of person would want that kind of power and why just as much as how that power's effects would play out in a world like this. The story's answers to that question are by no means reassuring. Not coincidentally, the manga comes from [[Creator/MohiroKitoh the creator of the latter]], while the anime adaptation was scripted [[Creator/ChiakiKonaka by the creator of the former]].
* ''Manga/{{Shiki}}'' to vampire fiction. Starts out as a regular undead invade village, heroic vampire hunter fights them off. By the end, we're all left wondering who the real monsters are.
* ''Anime/StarDriver'' thrives on this. A great deal of the generic anime tropes used throughout the anime are exaggerated and played with massively to the point they feel totally new.
* Originally, ''Anime/SuperDimensionFortressMacross'' was meant to be a DeconstructiveParody of shows like ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam''. While it veered off that course eventually and played a fair number of tropes completely straight (never mind [[MacrossMissileMassacre inventing]] a few along the way), every major entry into the ''Anime/{{Macross}}'' franchise has featured at least one major, often scathing, deconstruction of the science fiction and adventure genres, not to mention the anime medium as a whole.
* ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'' -- What do you mean "[[GenreBusting we should stay in one genre?]]" If we did that, Kyon wouldn't get to [[DeadpanSnarker snark at them]]!
* ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' eats this trope, among others, for breakfast. At the very least, it played the trope straight by deconstructing the [[HumongousMecha Giant Robot]] genre. Some hypotheses suggest that the first arc is based on 70s giant robot anime (roaming around having episodic MonsterOfTheWeek adventures), the second is the 80s (moving toward a BigBad and beating his subordinates along the way), the third arc transitions into the 90s (a much more cynical setting that looks very similar to [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion something else by the same studio]]), and the final arc is intended to invert this trope by reconstruct everything into something new. Along the way, it examines how the HotBlooded type was treated in each of those. Among other things.
* ''Manga/TsubasaReservoirChronicle'' -- Deconstructs ''itself'', its [[CerebusSyndrome second half]] deconstructing its first half.
* ''Manga/{{Uwakoi}}'' and ''Aki Sora'', both by Masahiro Itosugi, collectively take the most infamous tropes associated with the ecchi and harem genres - BastardGirlfriend, BrotherSisterIncest, ExtremeDoormat, HormoneAddledTeenager, TheDitherer, UnwantedHarem, {{Yandere}}, etc. - and plays them all for realistic drama and/or psychological horror.
* ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'' -- Especially the original series' heroes' use of DefeatMeansFriendship (which the BigBad's {{Cult}} uses in Season 2). And just look at [[DespairEventHorizon what happens]] to its typical IdiotHero-InvincibleHero protagonist in season 3.
** It doesn't just deconstruct tropes, it also deconstructs aspects of the game itself; Judai's duel with Kagurazuka takes a stab at showing the flaws in the PossessionEqualsMastery theory of netdecking, and a central theme in the anime is over which side of the StopHavingFunGuys debate is right.
* ''Anime/YuGiOhArcV'' takes the deconstruction even further, to the point that it has its [[DeconstructedTrope/YuGiOhARCV own page]]. Here are a few examples:
** In the first episode, Yuya's pendant spontaneously creates Pendulum Monsters and uses them to win. However, the audience calls him a cheater for having fake cards or at the very least cards nobody else has, and an early plot point is people either trying to steal Yuya's new cards or trying to develop their own Pendulum Monsters.
** Yuya's missing dad causes him ''very'' major issues in contrast to past protagonists.
** The fact that the heroes are essentially ChildSoldiers is not sugar-coated in any way, and the series explores the mental damage that would result from being in their situation, namely through [[spoiler: [[BitchInSheepsClothing Sora]], [[AntiHero Kurosaki]], [[BrokenBird Yuto]] and [[AxCrazy the Obelisk force]]]]. [[spoiler: Especially Reira, who was already utterly broken by his upbringing in a war-torn country.]]
** [[spoiler: The SuperPoweredEvilSide demonstrated by Yuya and his alternate dimension counterparts is very much portrayed as horrific.]]
** The [[HardLight Solid Vision]] is used by the villains, who are, aside from being from [[spoiler: a parallel world]], normal people, to turn ''Duel Monsters'' into weapons of war. Episode 34 demonstrates this by having Revolution Falcon do a bombing run and raze the entire field. Instead of having all humans be either 100% redeemable and/or heavily manipulated by an EldritchAbomination, HumansAreTheRealMonsters.
** The Synchro Dimension arc is chock-full of Deconstuctions of ''[[Anime/YuGiOh5Ds 5Ds]]'' For one, the class divide still exists, and not only is it much more brutal, but the Zero Reverse isn't present to justify it. Instead, [[DeliberateValuesDissonance the people of the city have a culture and belief system that supports the insanity]] and [[BreadAndCircuses even encourages the poor to mock people who fail to bring themselves up]]. Also, Security is very much a NoNonsenseNemesis, utilizing decks full of monsters with Goyo Guardian's effect and not ceasing pursuit if they lose, making the duel a mostly a formality.
** The DuelsDecideEverything trope, core to the Yugioh franchise, also gets deconstructed. Namely, [[spoiler: after the Lancers managed to get away when they attempted to duel them the first time, the next time they attempt to catch them, they don't make any attempts to duel them, instead detaining them through force and sheer numbers alone]]. Furthermore, when [[spoiler: the Lancers are breaking out of prison]], they don't bother with duels and instead have their monsters physically restrain their opponents. And later still, [[spoiler: Sergey]] decides to forgo the duel altogether and instead [[spoiler: uses his cybernetic enhancements in order to power through Tsukikage and Sora and kidnap Yuzu.]]
** Yuya's AllLovingHero attitude falls apart hard. Not only does he fall apart emotionally whenever his attempts at befriending others fail, but sometimes he alienates would-be-allies and/or his audience who see his behavior as naive, or because they view [[CultureClash his beliefs as a personal attack on their culture]].
** The JerkWithAHeartOfGold trope is deconstructed through [[spoiler: [[Anime/YuGiOh5Ds Jack]]]]. Though [[spoiler: this version]] is genuinely well-meaning, a lot of people think he's a sellout because he never shows the public his true goals and motivations. His attempts to encourage a young duelist to become better by giving Sam a card that has deep personal significance make Sam think the gift is an insult, as he doesn't know about the emotional value and the card itself is pretty weak (unless your deck uses specific archetypes, some of which do not exist in Sam's dimension).
** DefeatMeansFriendship, a common staple of the Yugioh franchise, is either exploited by antagonists, or ''painfully'' averted or subverted in all but three of the protagonists' duels. These three duels all provide a solid reason why the trope is played straight, and said reason has more to do with the opponent's pre-existing personality and experiences than it does with Yuya himself; making Yuya less of a WarriorTherapist and more like the catalyst his opponents needed to set off their own CharacterDevelopment.
** CharacterDevelopment in general takes a lot of time, and is sometimes characters grow in ways that aren't obvious or clear right away.
** While generally the MagicPokerEquation is played straight, there are times when it has not. In one episode, Yuya ends up starting with a dead hand full of monsters he can't summon yet, and much latter, two people, both on the villains' and heroes' sides respectively, and in consecutive duels to boot, end up finding an Action Card that's completely useless to them.
** ForHappiness is deconstructed by [[spoiler: Zarc]]. Like Yuya, he wanted to make people happy, but his audience was bloodthirsty and cheered him on when he was violent, twisting him into a monster.
** The dueling, the entire basis of the franchise, eventually gets in on the deconstruction. [[spoiler: The ancient Duel Spirits aren't happy at being made to fight against each other for humans' entertainment, so when Leo Akaba developed Real Solid Vision, they used it to manifest themselves into the real world and start attacking humans.]]
** Like all the previous [[BigBad Big Bads]] before him, [[spoiler: Zarc]] has a deck full of [[StoryBreakerPower insanely overpowered]] cards, with his ace card being designed to be NighInvulnerable. The rest of the cast eventually calls him out on this, pointing out that rather than display how powerful he is, it just shows that he's a coward afraid of losing.
----
* ''Manga/{{Bokurano}}'': Just because a cosmic entity [[PoweredByAForsakenChild grants children gigantic mecha to pilot]] doesn't mean they'll necessarily use those mechs for the sake of good.
* ''Manga/CaseClosed'' upon closer inspection deconstructs all sorts of genres through the backstories of the people involved in the cases. It ranges from whodunit murder mysteries to convuluted soap operas or even romantic comedies. One case about a ripped up baseball penant seems like something out of a sports underdog story.
* ''Anime/CodeGeass'' shows what happens when characters from a high school anime with their angst, idealism and silly crushes get involved in a ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' setting.
* ''Anime/DarkerThanBlack'' does its best to play with as many [[StockSuperpowersIndex superpower tropes]] as it can, and often deconstructs them. For starters: RequiredSecondaryPowers is either often exploited, or forgotten about, resulting in the deaths of many characters.
* ''Anime/DigimonTamers'' is another {{Mons}} deconstruction. Remember the first [[Anime/DigimonAdventure two]] [[Anime/DigimonAdventure02 seasons]]? They're all fake, nothing more than a kids TV show and merchandise franchise. ThisIsReality. The show explores how much damage real {{Mons}} could potentially cause to a cityscape, the consequences of endlessly trying to make your mon stronger (both for the mon and the Tamer), and the psychological problems that could result from being too attached to your mon.
* ''Franchise/DragonBall'' has a few deconstructed tropes. Attempts by main characters to [[SuicideAttack kamikaze the villains]] are rarely, if ever, met with success, despite all the weight that is often put into these decisions. Both Tien AND Chaiotzu failed to make their ones on Nappa stick, Vegeta's attempt to pull one on Majin Buu was rendered useless, and Gohan's last stand against the Androids in the "History of Trunks" special just ended up making things ''worse'' for humanity. Really, the few that actually worked tended to involve Goku, be it keeping Raditz at bay for Piccolo's Special Beam Cannon to work, or teleporting Cell off-planet to stop the world from blowing up (and even ''that'' didn't end up killing Cell).
* ''Manga/ExcelSaga'': Technically it is a satire mocking the Japanese recession, but every little thing, no matter how mundane or boring, is depicted as [[MundaneMadeAwesome totally awesome]]. [[Anime/ExcelSaga The anime]] meanwhile, parodies a different movie or television genre [[OnceAnEpisode each episode]].
* ''LightNovel/FateZero'', following the example of its [[VisualNovel/FateStayNight predecessor]], deconstructs heroism tropes, this time especially the concept of the IDidWhatIHadToDo TheNeedsOfTheMany-style AntiHero and the WellIntentionedExtremist, as well as some interesting and bizarre musings on the notion of being the villain of a story.
* ''Anime/{{FLCL}}'', but PlayedForLaughs and {{Mind Screw}}s.
* ''Manga/{{Gantz}}'': The author himself said that he laid out to subvert as many tropes as possible with the series. One might argue the prime example here is FirstPersonShooter, as in ''being'' inside a FirstPersonShooter would be horrible.
* ''LightNovel/GenkaiLevelOneKaraNoNariagari'' deconstructs as many isekai harem tropes as it can sink its teeth into. The human kindgom that summons Tetsuya and five other people wasn't looking for genuine heroes to protect them from an existential threat, regardless of what Meme says on her introduction. They were looking for shock troops and enforcers that they could exploit to be war weapons of mass destruction, and threw Tetsuya over a cliff when he failed to match up to their aesthetics, not to mention how much Tetsuya's life sucked because he was the stereotypical OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent GodlikeGamer and then became an adult and had to try and adapt to modern society...
* ''Manga/HayateTheCombatButler'' subverts, averts, deconstructs, and [[StealthParody stealth parodies]] HaremGenre tropes as much as possible.
* ''Manga/HeavensLostProperty'' [[DeconstructiveParody mostly pokes fun at many harem tropes]] and tropes such as MessianicArchetype. One standout case however is Chaos who is walking deconstruction of WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove, and unlike the rest it is not played for laughs. She shows what happens when you try to teach someone love who literally doesn't have any understanding of the concept and stuff such as LoveHurts are taken frighteningly literally.
* ''Anime/IrresponsibleCaptainTylor'' -- SpaceOpera, completely PlayedForLaughs.
* ''LightNovel/IsThisAZombie'' is very much not your normal magical girl series.
* ''Manga/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar'' loves to make fun of romance manga tropes by either [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome giving them realistic outcomes]], or utilizing them in a tongue-in-cheek fashion. The very premise of the series is a deconstruction of CannotSpitItOut, as Kaguya and Shirogane waste ''so'' much time dancing around their feelings for each other, [[spoiler:that when they finally do get together, Shirogane only has a few months before he has to go overseas for college.]]
* ''Anime/KeyTheMetalIdol'' -- One of the first truly brilliant Anime {{Mind Screw}}s, it also sinks its teeth into numerous works and tropes of fiction, including Pinocchio/ BecomeARealBoy, MiniMecha, Real Mecha, Super Mecha, EccentricMentor, IdolSinger, and MagicalGirl, in addition to [[spoiler:subverting and deconstructing the EmotionlessGirl and RobotGirl archetypes [[UnbuiltTrope before they were much of a thing in anime to begin with]]]].
* ''LightNovel/KokoroConnect'' disassembles every aspect of SliceOfLife high-school romance it can think of, FreakyFridayFlip and similar MagicalRealism tropes, and even the very concept of entertaining the audience.
* Haruka Kotoura of ''Manga/KotouraSan'' could have been a classic {{Moe}} protagonist and is one deep down. The problem is that her {{Telepathy}} [[PowerIncontinence cannot be turned off]] so she's unable to distinguish between speech and thought. [[HowWeGotHere In her backstory]], she grew up in a society where [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatemae Tatemae]] is a commonplace concept. [[BreakTheCutie It did not end well for her at all]]. As a result, many of her major character tropes are either [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]], PlayedForDrama, or they are simply cynical in nature.
** This hypothetical situation also explores the implications of Tatemae's validity. Is it worth the risk of BecomingTheMask just so you can belong in society? Is it really okay to hurt and [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer shun]] the HonestAdvisor [[InnocentlyInsensitive who may not know better if at all]]? Does this promote a truly happy society or a CrapsaccharineWorld?
* ''Manga/MagicalRecordLyricalNanohaForce'' take some SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome. Since the antagonists are adults and choose their own [[TookALevelInJerkass path]], this series deconstructs some concepts of entire Nanoha franchise, especially the mainstay DefeatMeansFriendship. As usual, the heroes always use the usual friendly approach to the villains, but the villains use the advantage to get away with things, leading to more stubbornness and aggression for the villains or even running away. In an example of Administrivia/TropesAreTools, these changes were almost universally hated by the fandom, resulting in the series being put on indefinite hiatus and relegated to FanonDiscontinuity.
* ''Anime/MagicalShoppingArcadeAbenobashi'' -- The whole frickin' point is basically to deconstruct a genre per episode. And then, halfway through, it shift gears and begins to deconstruct ''itself''.
* ''LightNovel/{{Maoyu}}'' deconstructs popular cliches of the fantasy genre. It begins by explaining how killing the EvilOverlord does not necessarily end the world's problems. In fact, the true way of achieving world peace is not through brute force, but through a combination of military, economic, diplomatic, political and social reforms.
* ''Manga/MedakaBox'' has pretty much become this. [[ExaggeratedTrope Exaggerating]] shonen tropes (especially those found in ''Magazine/ShonenJump'') while also showing [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity issues]] that come with the characters having such off the wall powers, and even deconstructs the concepts of the GodModeSue and InvincibleHero.
* Creator/YoshiyukiTomino is practically a one-man Deconstructor Fleet.
** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' deconstructs the then-prevailing {{Mecha}} trend of overpowered {{Super Robot}}s, thus creating the RealRobot genre.
*** The mecha that would have otherwise taken on the role of the titular super robot is a hell of a hassle despite being super, simply because it's so cutting edge to the point of being hard to maintain. By the end of the One Year War, it has difficultly responding to Amuro because it lacks the hardware to keep up with his [[PsychicPowers Newtype reflexes.]]
*** The protagonist Amuro Ray, despite his intelligence, is a teenage boy who acts like one. He angsts over his role, clashes with the military chain of command, and leaves White Base at one point before growing into his role as pilot. He's not the team leader either and remains subordinate to [[TheCaptain Bright Noa]] throughout. Amuro also never gets together with [[DidNotGetTheGirl either love interest.]] He accidentally kills Lalah and fails to notice the affections of Fraw.
*** The series goes on to show that The Principality of Zeon despite being a Nazi-esque military dictatorship has sympathetic and likeable characters like Ramba Ral, Garma Zabi, and Char Aznable, averting straight BlackAndWhiteMorality.
*** The sequel series ''Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam'' has the Federation, the good guys in the original series, creating the Titans to hunt down Zeon remnants, only for them to become corrupt and commit the same atrocities Zeon engaged in. This brings the original heroes and Char together to stop them.
** ''Anime/MobileSuitVictoryGundam'' deconstructs the rest of the franchise's Universal Century side, given that it was produced during Tomino's emotional lowest point against Sunrise's endless ExecutiveMeddling. It tells everything buried deep in Tomino's mind about the commercial reality in the anime industries. Tomino himself has admitted regret that the show ened up as dark as it did.
** The Universal Century in general is itself a deconstruction of the sort of ideas, tropes and lofty aspirations that inspire the likes of ''Franchise/StarTrek'', which is further highlighted by works like ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamUnicorn''. If there are strange new worlds to see, expect them to have a lot of the same problems we deal with on Earth. And expect humanity to bring its conflicts, bloodshed and hubris to the stars.
* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'' deconstructs the rest of the Gundam franchise. It even has the [[Creator/ToruFuruya voice actor]] of [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam the original hero]] play the BigBad.
* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamAGE'' deconstructs the mindset of the Kid Hero of the first generation -- does he believe in achieving peace to both sides? Nope, he considers the Vagan as irredeemable monsters no matter what, and he holds this belief throughout his life; not even his son and grandson can change his mind on that. [[spoiler: At least not until the last minute.]]
* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' -- Deconstructs IdiotHero (Naruto isn't an idiot, he just act like one because that's the only way he can get a brief moment of attention, and it's a defense mechanism against his depression), MessianicArchetype (Nagato via what happens when the universe goes out of its way to treat said archtype like crap), CosmicPlaything (out of four examples, all but Naruto have snapped somehow as a result and even then Naruto barely avoided snapping), AllGirlsWantBadBoys (Sakura), NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished (Kakashi suffered some major trauma as a result of what happened to his father), and revenge tropes in general (especially Sasuke).
* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' -- Originally conceived as a deconstruction of the robot side of the SuperRobot genre, the second half of the series (and the movies) become a psychological evaluation of the so-called "[[AcePilot Hotshot Pilot]]", showing how fucked up they can be as far as wallowing in angst (a side effect of the show's creator going into therapy around the time the show began production). The show's original finale itself [[TakeThatAudience takes several swipes at the show's fanbase]], in particular targeting [[{{Shipping}} those who only cared about which girl Shinji would end up with]].
* ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub'' -- Joyfully mocks the reverse-harem shoujo genre it often falls straight into.
* ''Anime/{{Patlabor}}'' is a relentlessly hilarious satire of every element of HumongousMecha.
** They're rarely over a dozen meters tall, so as not to crush their own feet. And one tripping will still take out a house. They don't even walk long distances; they're stored at construction sites like any other piece of heavy equipment, and the Patlabors are transported to combat scenes in their own specialized trucks.
** FallingIntoTheCockpit is impossible as they're complicated as hell; Noa teaching her mech to tie a shoelace knot is considered proof of her being a genius pilot. Most people can't do much with even a SuperPrototype robot even if they find themselves piloting one.
** Weapons are scaled-up versions of conventional firearms; a laser shows up in a single two-part episode, but never seen again -- it destroyed all its foes, but it was ''[[AwesomeButImpractical too delicate and expensive]].''
** WarForFunAndProfit is neither fun nor profitable; Schaft Enterprises makes an attempt to pit one of their military prototypes against the police's Ingram in pursuit of combat data. What followed was ridiculously stupid, as the only people they could find willing to do such a ridiculously stupid thing were some deadbeat stoner BombThrowingAnarchists - who fled the scene once they ''realized'' how ridiculously stupid the whole thing was.[[note]]Of course, the whole Griffon plotline, from Brocken fighting Ingram to collect its data to the Griffon itself, is a ''huge'' ShoutOut to [[Anime/{{Gigantor}} Tetsujin No. 28]]. Simply replace Brocken and Griffon with Baccus and Black Ox and the whole thing should be clearer.[[/note]]
* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' -- While being selfish in most MagicalGirl shows makes you the villain or the AlphaBitch, using your [[DealWithTheDevil wish]] to help others might lead to them to [[GoMadFromTheRevelation question everything]], unknowingly take your help and [[ExactWords forget you]], or [[spoiler:[[GroundhogDayLoop cause their suffering to build over multiple timelines.]]]] [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone And you get to have all the fun of watching it happen and knowing you caused it.]]
** The show calls attention to the fact that these untrained, unprepared youths are liable to actually ''die'' in their fights with the Witches, as well as the psychological damage it entails.
** ''Rebellion'', the series' sequel, also attacks its fair share of tropes. Most prominently, how disturbing would it actually be to love only one person, to the exclusion of ''[[TheFourLoves all other]]'' relationships? Rebellion also features the portrayal of the characters in a more standard magical girl setting, with one of them realizing that it's not what their setting is actually like.
* ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'' -- "Love is a battlefield" as a literal concept is common in MagicalGirl, but most tend to forget that love, and especially young love, is inextricably linked with sexuality (and explorations thereof) and uncertain and non-absolute infatuations, often unrequited or with those with whom such a pairing would be socially unacceptable. And that's not even getting into RGU's regular savaging of traditional gender roles.
** And speaking of a Creator/KunihikoIkuhara anime that savages traditional gender roles at every turn and traffics in some very subversive ideas about how certain kinds of love are portrayed in Japanese media, let's talk about ''Anime/YuriKumaArashi''...
* ''LightNovel/ReZero'' takes great pains to critically examine many tropes present not just in the typical {{NEET}} TrappedInAnotherWorld plotline, but aspects of high fantasy and the concept of [[SatelliteCharacter supporting cast]]. Rather than a straightforward fantasy of 'fight monsters' and 'defeat a great evil' the driving goal of the series is more political in nature, and both the characters and the setting have complex, interlocking backstories that Subaru (and the audience) learn about as time goes on. In fact, the Witch of Envy (who would normally fit the role of BigBad in this type of story) was defeated ''centuries'' ago [[spoiler:and is implied to be what summoned Subaru in the first place]], with much of the challenges faced arising from the legacy left behind by both her and her fellow Witches, and being the cause of FantasticRacism that plagues Emilia in the present.
* ''LightNovel/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'' [[DeconstructorFleet/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero has its own page.]]
* ''Manga/RosarioPlusVampire'': In recent years Ikeda has taken it upon himself to ask what sort of background the girls in an UnwantedHarem might have come from, and to highlight the impact of being the RomanticRunnerUp in such a relationship. It also shows how dangerous it is to be TheTeamNormal and the possible adverse [[BodyHorror physical]] and [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity psychological]] effects of an EmergencyTransformation. Not to mention Kahlua shows just how [[BerserkerTears messed up]] being a PunchClockVillain can make you.
* ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'' -- Deconstructs many aspects of the [[TheDrifter Wandering Samurai]] [[note]]Not that Kenshin WAS one, mind you[[/note]] found in the JidaiGeki genre.
* ''Manga/{{Saikano}}'': [[MagicalGirlfriend So your shy, timid girlfriend turned out to have actually been a secret government human superweapon all along?]] Expect suffering, my friend. Lots and lots][[SerialEscalation and lots]] of it.
* ''Anime/SchoolDays'', like the game it was based on (more on that in the VisualNovel section below), takes the HaremGenre and mashes it with SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome all the way to a [[MurderTheHypotenuse terrifying]] ending. Bluntly speaking, it deconstructs the HaremGenre by showing what would happen if a person became the focus of a harem, and instead of being oblivious to their affection, decided to take advantage of their love for someone to get sex out of them, and shows the toll that this would have on someone in a situation like this.
* ''Manga/ShadowStar'' -- Like ''Digimon Tamers'', this one really digs into the darker implications of the {{Mon}} subgenre, but the vein in which it does so is closer to ''Bokurano'''s take on the subject, asking the viewer what sort of person would want that kind of power and why just as much as how that power's effects would play out in a world like this. The story's answers to that question are by no means reassuring. Not coincidentally, the manga comes from [[Creator/MohiroKitoh the creator of the latter]], while the anime adaptation was scripted [[Creator/ChiakiKonaka by the creator of the former]].
* ''Manga/{{Shiki}}'' to vampire fiction. Starts out as a regular undead invade village, heroic vampire hunter fights them off. By the end, we're all left wondering who the real monsters are.
* ''Anime/StarDriver'' thrives on this. A great deal of the generic anime tropes used throughout the anime are exaggerated and played with massively to the point they feel totally new.
* Originally, ''Anime/SuperDimensionFortressMacross'' was meant to be a DeconstructiveParody of shows like ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam''. While it veered off that course eventually and played a fair number of tropes completely straight (never mind [[MacrossMissileMassacre inventing]] a few along the way), every major entry into the ''Anime/{{Macross}}'' franchise has featured at least one major, often scathing, deconstruction of the science fiction and adventure genres, not to mention the anime medium as a whole.
* ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'' -- What do you mean "[[GenreBusting we should stay in one genre?]]" If we did that, Kyon wouldn't get to [[DeadpanSnarker snark at them]]!
* ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' eats this trope, among others, for breakfast. At the very least, it played the trope straight by deconstructing the [[HumongousMecha Giant Robot]] genre. Some hypotheses suggest that the first arc is based on 70s giant robot anime (roaming around having episodic MonsterOfTheWeek adventures), the second is the 80s (moving toward a BigBad and beating his subordinates along the way), the third arc transitions into the 90s (a much more cynical setting that looks very similar to [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion something else by the same studio]]), and the final arc is intended to invert this trope by reconstruct everything into something new. Along the way, it examines how the HotBlooded type was treated in each of those. Among other things.
* ''Manga/TsubasaReservoirChronicle'' -- Deconstructs ''itself'', its [[CerebusSyndrome second half]] deconstructing its first half.
* ''Manga/{{Uwakoi}}'' and ''Aki Sora'', both by Masahiro Itosugi, collectively take the most infamous tropes associated with the ecchi and harem genres - BastardGirlfriend, BrotherSisterIncest, ExtremeDoormat, HormoneAddledTeenager, TheDitherer, UnwantedHarem, {{Yandere}}, etc. - and plays them all for realistic drama and/or psychological horror.
* ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'' -- Especially the original series' heroes' use of DefeatMeansFriendship (which the BigBad's {{Cult}} uses in Season 2). And just look at [[DespairEventHorizon what happens]] to its typical IdiotHero-InvincibleHero protagonist in season 3.
** It doesn't just deconstruct tropes, it also deconstructs aspects of the game itself; Judai's duel with Kagurazuka takes a stab at showing the flaws in the PossessionEqualsMastery theory of netdecking, and a central theme in the anime is over which side of the StopHavingFunGuys debate is right.
* ''Anime/YuGiOhArcV'' takes the deconstruction even further, to the point that it has its [[DeconstructedTrope/YuGiOhARCV own page]]. Here are a few examples:
** In the first episode, Yuya's pendant spontaneously creates Pendulum Monsters and uses them to win. However, the audience calls him a cheater for having fake cards or at the very least cards nobody else has, and an early plot point is people either trying to steal Yuya's new cards or trying to develop their own Pendulum Monsters.
** Yuya's missing dad causes him ''very'' major issues in contrast to past protagonists.
** The fact that the heroes are essentially ChildSoldiers is not sugar-coated in any way, and the series explores the mental damage that would result from being in their situation, namely through [[spoiler: [[BitchInSheepsClothing Sora]], [[AntiHero Kurosaki]], [[BrokenBird Yuto]] and [[AxCrazy the Obelisk force]]]]. [[spoiler: Especially Reira, who was already utterly broken by his upbringing in a war-torn country.]]
** [[spoiler: The SuperPoweredEvilSide demonstrated by Yuya and his alternate dimension counterparts is very much portrayed as horrific.]]
** The [[HardLight Solid Vision]] is used by the villains, who are, aside from being from [[spoiler: a parallel world]], normal people, to turn ''Duel Monsters'' into weapons of war. Episode 34 demonstrates this by having Revolution Falcon do a bombing run and raze the entire field. Instead of having all humans be either 100% redeemable and/or heavily manipulated by an EldritchAbomination, HumansAreTheRealMonsters.
** The Synchro Dimension arc is chock-full of Deconstuctions of ''[[Anime/YuGiOh5Ds 5Ds]]'' For one, the class divide still exists, and not only is it much more brutal, but the Zero Reverse isn't present to justify it. Instead, [[DeliberateValuesDissonance the people of the city have a culture and belief system that supports the insanity]] and [[BreadAndCircuses even encourages the poor to mock people who fail to bring themselves up]]. Also, Security is very much a NoNonsenseNemesis, utilizing decks full of monsters with Goyo Guardian's effect and not ceasing pursuit if they lose, making the duel a mostly a formality.
** The DuelsDecideEverything trope, core to the Yugioh franchise, also gets deconstructed. Namely, [[spoiler: after the Lancers managed to get away when they attempted to duel them the first time, the next time they attempt to catch them, they don't make any attempts to duel them, instead detaining them through force and sheer numbers alone]]. Furthermore, when [[spoiler: the Lancers are breaking out of prison]], they don't bother with duels and instead have their monsters physically restrain their opponents. And later still, [[spoiler: Sergey]] decides to forgo the duel altogether and instead [[spoiler: uses his cybernetic enhancements in order to power through Tsukikage and Sora and kidnap Yuzu.]]
** Yuya's AllLovingHero attitude falls apart hard. Not only does he fall apart emotionally whenever his attempts at befriending others fail, but sometimes he alienates would-be-allies and/or his audience who see his behavior as naive, or because they view [[CultureClash his beliefs as a personal attack on their culture]].
** The JerkWithAHeartOfGold trope is deconstructed through [[spoiler: [[Anime/YuGiOh5Ds Jack]]]]. Though [[spoiler: this version]] is genuinely well-meaning, a lot of people think he's a sellout because he never shows the public his true goals and motivations. His attempts to encourage a young duelist to become better by giving Sam a card that has deep personal significance make Sam think the gift is an insult, as he doesn't know about the emotional value and the card itself is pretty weak (unless your deck uses specific archetypes, some of which do not exist in Sam's dimension).
** DefeatMeansFriendship, a common staple of the Yugioh franchise, is either exploited by antagonists, or ''painfully'' averted or subverted in all but three of the protagonists' duels. These three duels all provide a solid reason why the trope is played straight, and said reason has more to do with the opponent's pre-existing personality and experiences than it does with Yuya himself; making Yuya less of a WarriorTherapist and more like the catalyst his opponents needed to set off their own CharacterDevelopment.
** CharacterDevelopment in general takes a lot of time, and is sometimes characters grow in ways that aren't obvious or clear right away.
** While generally the MagicPokerEquation is played straight, there are times when it has not. In one episode, Yuya ends up starting with a dead hand full of monsters he can't summon yet, and much latter, two people, both on the villains' and heroes' sides respectively, and in consecutive duels to boot, end up finding an Action Card that's completely useless to them.
** ForHappiness is deconstructed by [[spoiler: Zarc]]. Like Yuya, he wanted to make people happy, but his audience was bloodthirsty and cheered him on when he was violent, twisting him into a monster.
** The dueling, the entire basis of the franchise, eventually gets in on the deconstruction. [[spoiler: The ancient Duel Spirits aren't happy at being made to fight against each other for humans' entertainment, so when Leo Akaba developed Real Solid Vision, they used it to manifest themselves into the real world and start attacking humans.]]
** Like all the previous [[BigBad Big Bads]] before him, [[spoiler: Zarc]] has a deck full of [[StoryBreakerPower insanely overpowered]] cards, with his ace card being designed to be NighInvulnerable. The rest of the cast eventually calls him out on this, pointing out that rather than display how powerful he is, it just shows that he's a coward afraid of losing.
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