History DeconstructedTrope / YuGiOhArcV

** Reiji Akaba combines this with GradeSchoolCEO. While he is a genius, his youth and inexperience mean that it doesn't occur to him to make backup plans in case the original plans fail. For example, he assumes the LDS Youth division will be able to defeat the Obelisk Force without actually knowing how strong the Obelisk Force is (they get crushed), or when they travelled to the Synchro Dimsension, he had no plan to contact the Lancers in case they are separated, which is exactly what happens. [[spoiler:His father calls him out on this late in the series, telling him that this kind of short-sightedness is unfitting for a businessman - should be noted that this is right after ''another'' one of Reiji's plans blows in his face.]]
** Roget combines it with ManipulativeBastard. He quite literally treats other people as chess pieces, and assumes that they will act in ways he expects them to if he gives them the right sales pitch. However, his expectations are always defied because he completely fails to take into account other people's pre-existing biases: [[spoiler:his plan to recruit Yuya fails because Yuya prioritizes uniting people with dueling instead of defeating the Academia]], any unfair advantage he gives to Serena during her duel goes to waste because she operates on HonorBeforeReason, and just about every aspect of his [[spoiler:coup]] fails because the changed circumstances lead characters to making different decisions ([[spoiler:the Council being convinced to excerise its authority, Yuzu using her position as a hostage to give insider info, and Sergei breaking out of his brainwashing due to being a DeathSeeker finally getting what he wanted all along.]]
** Akaba Leo's plans are ruined due to his emotional bias. [[spoiler:His bias towards his [[OutlivingOnesOffspring daughter Ray]] and against the man who killed her Zarc, mean that he doesn't treat their respecitve {{Reincarnation}}s as their own people with their own personalities and instead as fake images of the real deals. He puts Serena and later the other bracelet girls in {{Gilded Cage}}s, while using Yuri as his enforcer because he assumed Yuri was predisposed to violence. It's pointed out to him that if he just let things be and let go of Ray, Zarc's revival, which he was trying to prevent, would not be an issue in the first place.]]
** [[spoiler:Ray]]'s plan is a case of GoneHorriblyRight along with a deconstruction of MoralityChain. [[spoiler:She placed her reincarnations next to Zarc's to have them all grow attached to each other and act as the boys' MoralityChain. However, that works so well that the Dragon Boys prioritize the girls' safety over their morals or wishes, making them just as prone to extreme and violent behavior as before - and even worse, nobody can stop them.]]
* The BigBad having PurposefullyOverpowered cards is Deconstructed in [[spoiler:Zarc's Supreme King Dragon deck. The villains are usually given powerful cards in order to challenge the protagonists more than the usual run-of-the-mill villain, but they're usually defeated either through the heroes' skills or by magically conjuring a new ace-in-the-hole. However, Zarc and his dragons are designed to completely run roughshod over everyone without giving them the chance to fight back, as well as heal what ever damage they do end up doing, and Yuya, the protagonist who would usually be able to stand up to him in the end, can't duel since Yuya is a part of Zarc. As a result, most of the duel against him is mainly Zarc just wiping out the remaining heroes one-by-one. In addition, instead of demonstrating that Zarc is a skilled or powerful opponent, Zarc's blatantly unfair cards, which are implied to have been conjured by Zarc himself, just demonstrate that he's a SoreLoser and DirtyCoward who's afraid of losing, which he's quickly [[CowardiceCallout called out upon.]]
* The series falls under '''Type 4''' of the {{Mons}} genre, which is a deconstruction, with its treatment of the concept of dueling, the foundations of the franchise itself. [[spoiler:When Leo invented Real Solid Vision to allow monsters to physically exist, the ancient Duel Spirits started using that to manifest in the real world through them. Turns out they aren't happy at people using Duel Monsters as a game where they fight each other for the entertainment of humans, so they eventually grew angry and started attacking people.]]

** The Synchro Dimension seems to be a deconstruction of the entire second season of ''5D's''. [[spoiler:When Satellite and Neo Domino City were connected at the end of the first season, they merged cleanly. While here despite the Tops and Commons both living in the City, the classism is even worse. With the Tops looking down on the Commons and the Commons having a lot of aggression towards the Tops and seem to be one push away from a total rebellion]].
** Episode 144 deconstructs [[spoiler:Zexal's ending. Where the main cast temporarily died and were brought back to life with no real mental scaring. Episode 144's plot is the Xyz Dimension is still scarred by their experiences to the point of being unable to duel.]]

* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands, which [[InternalDeconstruction is always used in the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise]], is deconstructed with Yuya's spontaneous creation of the Pendulum Monsters. Normally in the previous series, characters create new cards out of nowhere during climatic battles against major villains, and are supported by a pre-established supernatural entity. The cards that are created are following the pre-established rules of the game, and other characters react with admiration of the duelist's ability. ''ARC-V'' completely turns that on its head. Yuya is not in any danger during his duel with Strong Ishijima, it's ''literally the first episode'' so no pre-established supernatural factors are in play, and instead creating a card that abides with pre-established knowledge (say, [[Anime/YuGiOh5Ds bring out a new Synchro Monster in a setting where everyone uses them]]), it's a never seen before card type and summoning method, that being Pendulum. The reactions also reflect it - the audience, Yuya's opponent and the duel commentator all wonder if the move is legal and check if there are any errors in the system.
* Another internal trope that Yuya's creation of Pendulum monsters deconstructs is UniquenessValue. All main characters have one-of-a-kind cards, but that's usually not brought up InUniverse, unless someone points out that this card is a SignatureMon. With Yuya and his Pendulum cards, ''everyone'' gets on his case. A bunch of people try to join You Show Duel School (which Yuya is attending) to learn how to Pendulum Summon, others call him a coward and a cheater, some people straight up try to ''steal'' the cards (Sawatari for example), Sora is outright stalking Yuya and his close environment before inserting himself in their group because he finds Pendulum interesting, and Akaba Reiji is [[UniquenessDecay creating his own Pendulum cards]] while spying on Yuya. In addition, since Pendulum Summoning is so new and rare with unusual mechanics, nobody really knows how to counter them, and nobody expects to see them in a duel. [[spoiler:This completely backfires on the main cast when BigBad Akaba Leo reveals that he ''also'' created his own Pendulum cards by observing Yuya and the other users, and calls out the main cast for being surprised by it.]]
* The HardLight technology of the holograms is ''viciously'' deconstructed. ''Arc-V'' makes it clear what technology of that level would more likely be used for -- war. Repeatedly, characters do battle by using their holographic monsters to fight (not a proper duel, just a monster battle), characters are at risk of getting harmed by the holograms, at extreme times there's immense property damage, and the holograms are often used to get around easier by riding on monsters. Being a duelist in ''Arc-V'' means more than just being good at the Duel Monsters card game -- it means being athletic enough to jump and run around fantastic Action Duel fields, and having the courage to do it knowing serious injury is a probably risk.

** Since the use of a SuperPoweredEvilSide is actually just possession by [[spoiler: a GodOfEvil hell bent on destroying the multiverse]], every character with a SuperPoweredEvilSide qualifies as [[spoiler: an ApocalypseMaiden, unless they're a willing AntiChrist.]]
* Episode 50 deconstructs RecruitTeenagersWithAttitude, as once the protagonists learn that [[HiddenPurposeTest the entire Battle Royale was designed to find Lancers]], rather than be proud or excited to join most of them get mad at Reiji for putting lives on the line so carelessly and are far from thrilled at the prospect of becoming child soldiers.

* It's not even afraid to deconstruct things introduced ''only a few episodes earlier''. During Yuya's duel with his mom, his mother tells him how his father use to be able to end any conflict with everyone having a smile on their face, no matter how serious the matter was. Naturally, Yuya attempts to follow in his footsteps when [[spoiler:a mix up results in the Synchro Dimension security coming after him. He starts his entertainment duel routine, and security promptly responds by... Frankly not giving a shit and calling more security on his arse when he starts coming out on top.]]
* The idea of {{Mooks}} is deconstructed by Obelisk Force and Security. They are strong precisely because they attack in numbers and use the same decks over and over; they outnumber opponents and gang up on them, and their decks all synergize perfectly to create devastating combos. Even if they lose, they keep coming to ZergRush you until you either collapse from physical exhaustion or make a misplay and lose a duel. The heroes also only defeat them because they are all professional duelists, your standard civilian wouldn't stand a chance.

** Any duel between the Dragon boys is bound to end in disaster regardless of who wins because those duels only [[spoiler:hasten Zarc's revival]]. Which is exactly what happens when [[spoiler:Yuya finally beats [[TheDragon Yuri]].]]

** A constant trend in the Synchro dimension is Security challenging fugitives to duels in order to have their reinforcements capture them. Many duelists pick up on this so either they resort to monster fights or physical violence to get out.
* Interestingly the JerkWithAHeartOfGold trope usually displayed in TheRival is deconstructed here, usually the cast can see through the rival's rough exterior and understand their good intentions. But here, [[spoiler:Jack's]] attitude and words only make everyone see his actions as nothing but arrogance and full of spite instead of what he intended.
* The SeriousBusiness attitudes towards the card game. Normally, the negative effects this causes for the duelist are supernatural (Oricalcos, Shadow Realm, soul sealed in doll, sent to the stars, soul stolen, etc), and are not known to the public. In the Synchro Dimension, the punishment is man-made slavery, and the public is not only aware of it, but [[DeliberateValuesDissonance aren't even bothered by it]].
* The AllLovingHero trope is deconstructed with Yuya. He tries to be as peaceful as possible and he usually fails as a result. Most of the time, his attempts are ignored by his enemy, who instead use it to gain the advantage. When he simply can't take all the stress he's under, Yuya tends to snap violently, or becomes depressed because he's unable to deal with the cruelty of the world in a healthy manner.
* The BlitheSpirit trope is horribly deconstructed. Yuya attempts to change the City by showcasing his Entertainment Dueling and calling them out on their apathy but instead of the Commons seeing Yuya's points and changing, they mock and hate him for attacking their culture. A major part of Yuya's development in the Synchro Arc is his realization that blithe spirits doesn't work, they only anger those you are trying to change.
* LaResistance is deconstructed with the Commons revolution. At first "taking down the Tops" sounds good, but over the course of time the Commons become increasingly radicalized and paranoid to the point of falling under BlackAndWhiteInsanity. When the revolution breaks out, it's essentially in the form of [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized mobs with actual torches causing massive property damage heading towards the Tops to do who-knows-what to them]]. Not even children are spared from the chaos. In addition, when cooler heads try to point out the Commons' SkewedPriorities (the Academia invading), or point out that this attitude will lead to a FullCircleRevolution (Crow in regards to the treatment of children), they are immediately labelled {{Category Traitor}}s.

** Sora's process of realizing that he's with the bad guys takes ages. He starts off as a loyal and proud Academia spy, who unexpectedly grows just attached enough to Yuya and Yuzu. Prior to that, he did not even have a concept of dueling being used for peaceful purposes. It takes the Professor targetting Yuzu to put the first real dent to Sora's beliefs, and several encounters with Yuya to make him realize the views he has been raised with are wrong. Yuya in fact has to repeat the words Sora said to him to make him realize what Academia looks like from an outside perspective.
** Serena starts with a rosy view of Academia's war, as she's convinced by their propaganda that they are honorable soldiers with noble goals. When Yuzu describes what she heard second-hand from the Xyz users and Sora, Serena accuses her of lying, and it takes a fair bit of convincing to make her at least talk to someone who's been there. It never once occured to her that Xyz users may be innocent, and it shakes her really badly when it does.

** The biggest example is [[spoiler:Edo, who has been raised by the Academia since childhood and as such he strongly believes in their ideals. When Yusho was able to reach him, he went through a massive freak out, unable to admit beliefs that he had for so long could be wrong. Ultimately reconstructed after Yuya beats him in their second Duel.]]
* The ForHappiness trope is deconstructed by [[spoiler:Zarc]] of all people. He truly wanted to make people happy but the people of the [[spoiler:original dimension]] found joy in brutality. As a result, he started getting more and more brutal to satiate their ever-increasing bloodlust until he snapped.
* IdentityAmnesia is deconstructed by [[spoiler:Leo. After the dimensions were split, he lost all memory of who he was. Due to lasting memories of the Original Dimension, he created a new life for himself. Usually for this trope the person that suffers from this trope focuses on their original memories and identity. Here we see that because Leo focused on his memories of the Original Dimension, he truly hurt Himika and Reiji.]]
* TheChessmaster is deconstructed in a different manner for each and every instance of this trope, as combining it with other trope deconstructions while at it.

* The BigBad having PurposefullyOverpowered cards is Deconstructed in [[spoiler: Zarc's Supreme King Dragon deck. The villains are usually given powerful cards in order to challenge the protagonists more than the usual run-of-the-mill villain, but they're usually defeated either through the heroes' skills or by magically conjuring a new ace-in-the-hole. However, Zarc and his dragons are designed to completely run roughshod over everyone without giving them the chance to fight back, as well as heal what ever damage they do end up doing, and Yuya, the protagonist who would usually be able to stand up to him in the end, can't duel since Yuya is a part of Zarc. As a result, most of the duel against him is mainly Zarc just wiping out the remaining heroes one-by-one. In addition, instead of demonstrating that Zarc is a skilled or powerful opponent, Zarc's blatantly unfair cards, which are implied to have been conjured by Zarc himself, just demonstrate that he's a SoreLoser and DirtyCoward who's afraid of losing, which he's quickly [[CowardiceCallout called out upon.]]

* The dueling, the foundations of the franchise itself, gets deconstructed. [[spoiler:When Leo invented Real Solid Vision to allow monsters to physically exist, the ancient Duel Spirits started using that to manifest in the real world through them. Turns out they aren't happy at people using Duel Monsters as a game where they fight each other for the entertainment of humans, so they eventually grew angry and started attacking people.]]

* The Battle Royale arc deconstructs the Battle City arc of the second series anime. There, a bunch of duelists wandering town dueling each other at random as a secret force of antagonists invaded the city was presented in a highly formulaic series of normal duels focusing on the two main protagonists before the antagonists got involved in covert abductions. In this series, Battle Royale mode is added, letting duelists enter duels already on progress, and even team up on other duelists 2 or even 3-on-1. The result is total chaos as multiple duels with multiple duelists in them in numerous different configurations happen across multiple episodes, and the spectators and announcer struggle to keep up constantly switching focus on the action.

* The Synchro Dimension seems to be a deconstruction of the entire second season of ''5D's''. [[spoiler:When Satellite and Neo Domino City were connected at the end of the first season, they merged cleanly. While here despite the Tops and Commons both living in the City, the classism is even worse. With the Tops looking down on the Commons and the Commons having a lot of aggression towards the Tops and seem to be one push away from a total rebellion]].
* The AllLovingHero trope is even deconstructed. Yuya tries to be as peaceful as possible and he usually fails as a result. Most of the time, his attempts are ignored by his enemy, who instead use it to gain the advantage. When he simply can't take all the stress he's under, Yuya tends to snap violently, or becomes depressed because he's unable to deal with the cruelty of the world in a healthy manner.

* The dueling, the foundations of the franchise itself, gets deconstructed. [[spoiler:When Leo invented Real Solid Vision to allow monsters to physically exist, the ancient Duel Spirits started using that to manifest in the real world through them. Turns out they aren't happy at people using Duel Monsters as a game where they fight each other for the entertainment of humans, so they eventually grew angry and started attacking people.]]

* Episode 144 deconstructs [[spoiler:Zexal's ending. Where the main cast temporarily died and were brought back to life with no real mental scaring. Episode 144's plot is the Xyz Dimension is still scarred by their experiences to the point of being unable to duel.]]

* LaResistance is deconstructed with the Commons revolution. At first "taking down the Tops" sounds good, but over the course of time the Commons become increasingly radicalized and paranoid to the point of falling under BlackAndWhiteInsanity. When the revolution breaks out, it's essentially in the form of [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized mobs with actual torches causing massive property damage heading towards the Tops to do who-knows-what to them]]. Not even children are spared from the chaos. In addition, when cooler heads try to point out the Commons' ScewedPriorities (the Academia invading), or point out that this attitude will lead to a FullCircleRevolution (Crow in regards to the treatment of children), they are immediately labelled {{Category Traitor}}s.

* LaResistance is deconstructed with the Commons revolution. At first "taking down the Tops" sounds good, but over the course of time the Commons become increasingly radicalized and paranoid to the point of falling under BlackAndWhite insanity. When the revolution breaks out, it's essentially in the form of [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized mobs with actual torches causing massive property damage heading towards the Tops to do who-knows-what to them]]. Not even children are spared from the chaos. In addition, when cooler heads try to point out the Commons' ScrewedPriorities (the Academia invading), or point out that this attitude will lead to a FullCircleRevolution (Crow in regards to the treatment of children), they are immediately labelled {{Category Traitor}}s.

** Serena starts with a [[RoseColoredGlasses rosy view]] of Academia's war, as she's convinced by their propaganda that they are honorable soldiers with noble goals. When Yuzu describes what she heard second-hand from the Xyz users and Sora, Serena accuses her of lying, and it takes a fair bit of convincing to make her at least talk to someone who's been there. It never once occured to her that Xyz users may be innocent, and it shakes her really badly when it does.

* Episode 50 deconstructs RecruitingTeenagersWithAttitude, as once the protagonists learn that [[HiddenPurposeTest the entire Battle Royale was designed to find Lancers]], rather than be proud or excited to join most of them get mad at Reiji for putting lives on the line so carelessly and are far from thrilled at the prospect of becoming child soldiers.

The series has been deconstructing a lot of tropes common to the franchise, to the point where it qualifies as a DeconstructorFleet, largely of InternalDeconstruction examples.

* The UniquenessValue of the ace cards used by the protagonists is deconstructed by Pendulum Monsters. Yuya having the only ones makes him a target for people who want to steal them, others think he's a cheater that uses hacked cards, and yet others think he's a coward for relying on an unfair advantage no one else has. This is further deconstructed in that when Reiji and Leo Corp find out about Pendulum Monsters, [[UniquenessDecay they start replicating them for mass production, stunning Yuya when he learns he's not the only Pendulum user anymore]].
** Furthermore the fact that Pendulum cards are so new means that there isn't an archetype built to counter them, so whenever an enemy gets their hands on some Pendulum cards dueling them becomes extremely difficult. Furthermore unless the opponent is already known to use Pendulum most people don't expect to see it in a duel and thus are caught off-guard, [[spoiler: which is exactly what happens with Leo.]]
* The usual parent abandonment of the franchise is deconstructed by Yuya having massive issues that still haunt him to this day due to his disappeared dad.

* Episode 50 deconstructs the general shounen trope of building a team of elite teenage heroes, as once the protagonists learn that [[HiddenPurposeTest the entire Battle Royale was designed to find Lancers]], rather than be proud or excited to join most of them get mad at Reiji for putting lives on the line so carelessly and are far from thrilled at the prospect of becoming child soldiers.
* The KidHero and ChildSoldier tropes are deconstructed to hell and back. The Lancers are not at all thrilled at being used to fight a war, and Reira is flat out traumatized by what he has to go through. Meanwhile with other characters, Kurosaki has fallen victim to HeWhoFightsMonsters, becoming as violent and brutal as his enemies, and Sora performs a HeelFaceTurn because he was raised to be a soldier and has only now found true happiness by being allowed to act like a child and be friends with people.
* All major tournaments from previous series were never [[NotJustATournament Not Just Tournaments]] and had their dark moments, but the Junior Youth Championship, the major sub-tournament of the Maiami Championship (MCS), [[spoiler:gets cancelled after achieving its purpose]].
* The second major tournament is an annual event, but despite the previous years having no magic or plot relevance ''none'' of them were ever innocent. The entire thing weighs in heavily to the City's BreadAndCircuses routine, being a major PR tool used by the corrupt city council to keep the masses happy.

* The DuelsDecideEverything trope, the ''very basis of the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise'', isn't even safe from deconstruction in this series. Numerous characters, particularly Security, lose a duel, but continue on with what they were doing anyway. There's also many times they skip the dueling and just use brute force to apprehend the heroes.
** Furthermore the use of this trope can bite the initiator in the ass- as when [[spoiler: Asuka dueled Yuri- despite proving she was physically capable of just knocking him out- in order to get him to pull a HeelFaceTurn but got carded instead.]]

* The SeriousBusiness attitudes towards the card game. Normally, the negative effects this causes for the duelist are supernatural (Oricalcos, Shadow Realm, soul sealed in doll, sent to the stars, soul stolen, etc), and are not known to the public. In the Synchro Dimension, the punishment is man-made slavery, and the public is not only aware of it, but aren't even bothered by it.

* The Commons revolution deconstructs LaResistance. Yes, the Commons need help, and yes, the Tops aren't going to do a damn thing. But violence only breeds violence, innocent people are caught in the crossfire, and Shinji's allies develop BlackAndWhiteInsanity very quickly.
* HeelRealization is deconstructed by [[spoiler:Edo, who has been raised by the Academia since childhood and as such he strongly believes in their ideals. When Yusho was able to reach him, he went through a massive freak out, unable to admit beliefs that he had for so long could be wrong. Ultimately reconstructed after Yuya beats him in their second Duel.]]
* The ForHappiness trope is deconstructed by [[spoiler:Zarc]] of all people. He truly wanted to make people happy but due to the people of the [[spoiler:original dimension]] bloodthirsty attitude, he was twisted into a monster himself.

* MoralityChain is deconstructed in episode 129. [[spoiler:While the Bracelet girls can appeal to the Dragon Boys' better nature, if the girls themselves are in danger then the boys will focus on the girls’ safety even above their wishes.]]
* TheChessmaster is horribly deconstructed throughout the series. [[spoiler:There are many characters that create long term plans, and each time internal biases, or just the simple fact that people are unpredictable, mess them up.]]
** [[spoiler:A lot of Reiji's plans mess up because he can't plan for every possible option. His plan to get allies in the Synchro Dimension hit a huge snag when the Lancers were teleported to different locations without any way to communicate or a plan to get back together.]]
** [[spoiler:Roger's own confidence in his abilities lead to him mistakingly believing that he could control anyone easily. This belief lead to Serena giving an Action Card for her pride which lead to her defeat and Sergey breaking free of his control and losing which destroyed his King's Gambit.]]
** [[spoiler:Leo's own bias against Zarc and for Ray meant he separated Serena from meeting Yuri, this meant that Yuri was more susceptible to Zarc's influence which he only furthered when he allowed Yuri to listen to his destructive impulses. His use of Yuri as an enforcer only let the four Dragon Boys meet easier as they gained grudges against each other.]]
** [[spoiler:Ray placed her reincarnations close to Zarc's to act as a seal but she didn't realize how well that would work. Due to how close they became, whenever Yuzu, Ruri or Rin were hurt that lead to Yuya, Yuto and Yugo to awaken, speeding up Zarc's revival.]]
** [[spoiler:Zarc's confidence in his own power lead him to think he could overpower his reincarnations' personalities. In the end it was because of Yuya being able to fight back, that Reira and Ray were able to defeat him again.]]
* The BigBad having PurposefullyOverpowered cards is Deconstructed in [[spoiler: Zarc's Supreme King Dragon deck. The villains are usually given powerful cards in order to challenge the protagonists more than the usual run-of-the-mill villain, but they're usually defeated either through the heroes' skills or by magically conjuring a new ace-in-the-hole. However, Zarc and his dragons are designed to completely run roughshod over everyone without giving them the chance to fight back, as well as heal what ever damage they do end up doing, and Yuya, the protagonist who would usually be able to stand up to him in the end, can't duel since Yuya is a part of Zarc. As a result, most of the duel against him is mainly Zarc just wiping out the remaining heroes one-by-one. In addition, instead of demonstrating that Zarc is a skilled or powerful opponent, Zarc's blatantly unfair cards, which are implied to have been conjured by Zarc himself, just demonstrate that he's a SoreLoser and DirtyCoward who's afraid of losing.]]

* It's not even afraid to deconstruct things introduced ''only a few episodes earlier''. During Yuya's duel with his mom, his mother tells him how his father use to be able to end any conflict with everyone having a smile on their face, no matter how serious the matter was. Naturally, Yuya attempts to follow in his footsteps when [[spoiler:a mix up results in the Synchro Dimension security coming after him. He starts his entertainment duel routine, and security promptly responds by... [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome Frankly not giving a shit and calling more security on his arse when he starts coming out on top.]]]]

** [[spoiler:Roger's own confidence in his abilities lead to mistaking believing that he could control anyone easily. This belief lead to Serena giving an Action Card for her pride which lead to her defeat and Sergey breaking free of his control and losing which destroyed his King's Gambit.]]

** [[spoiler:A lot of Reiji's plans mess up because he can't plan for every possible option. His plan to get allies in the Synchro Dimension hit a huge snag when the Lancers were teleported to different locations without anyway to communicate or a plan to get back together.]]

* The ChessMaster and MagnificentBastard tropes are horribly deconstructed throughout the series. [[spoiler:There are many characters that create long term plans, and each time internal biases, or just the simple fact that people are unpredictable, mess them up.]]

* The ChessMaster and MagnificentBastard tropes are horribly deconstructed throughout the series. [[spoiler:There are many characters that create long term plans and each time internal biases or just fact that people are unpredictable, mess them up.]]

* MoralityChain is deconstructed in episode 129. [[spoiler:While the Bracelet girls can appeal to the Dragon Boys' better nature, if the girls themselves are in danger then the boys will focus on girls safety even above their wishes.]]

* MoralityChain is deconstructed in episode 129. [[spoiler:While the Bracelet girls can appeal to the Dragon Boys' better nature. If the girls themselves are in danger then the boys will focus on girls safety even above their wishes.]]

* The dueling, the foundations of the franchise itself, gets deconstructed. [[spoiler:When Leo invented Real Solid Vision to allow monsters to physically exist, the ancient Duel Spirits started using that to manifest in the real through them. Turns out they aren't happy at people using Duel Monsters as a game where they fight each other for the entertainment of humans, so they eventually grew angry and started attacking people.]]

* It's not even afraid to deconstruct things introduced ''only a few episodes earlier''. During Yuya's duel with his mom, his mother tells him how his father use to be able to end any conflict with everyone having a smile on their face, no matter how serious the matter was. Naturally, Yuya attempts to follow in his footsteps when [[spoiler:a mix up results in the Synchro Dimension security coming after him. He starts his entertainment duel routine, and security promptly responds by... [[RealityEnsues Frankly not giving a shit and calling more security on his arse when he starts coming out on top.]]]]

* The UniquenessValue of the ace cards used by the protagonists is deconstructed by Pendulum Monsters. Yuya having the only ones makes him a target for people who want to steal them, others think he's a cheater that uses hacked cards, and yet others think he's a coward for relying on an unfair advantage no one else has. This is further deconstructed in that when Reiji and Leo Corp find out about Pendulum Monsters, they start replicating them for mass production, stunning Yuya when he learns he's not the only Pendulum user anymore.

* Episode 144 deconstructs [[spoiler:Zexal's ending. Where the main cast temporarily died and were brought back to life with no real mental scaring. Episode 144's plot is the Xyz Dimension is still scarred by their experiences to the point of being unable to duel.]]
* The backstory deconstructs TheMasquerade: if the previous yugioh protagonists ''hadn't'' kept their knowledge of the supernatural a secret, [[spoiler: Zarc]] would never have risen to power. See RealityEnsues.

* The HardLight technology of the holograms is ''viciously'' deconstructed. ''Arc-V'' makes it clear what technology of that level would more likely be used for -- war. Repeatedly, characters do battle by using their holographic monsters to fight (not a proper duel, just a monster battle), characters are at risk of getting harmed by the holograms, at extreme times there's immense property damage, and the holograms are often used to get around easier. Being a duelist in ''Arc-V'' means more than just being good at Duel Monsters -- it means being athletic enough to jump and run around on a regular basis, and brave enough to do it knowing you could get hurt at any time.

* The Battle Royale arc deconstructs the Battle City arc of the second series anime. There, a bunch of duelists wandering town dueling each other at random as a secret force of antagonists invaded the city wasn't too big a deal. Here it's the same, except that Battle Royale mode allows for duelists to enter duels already in progress and gang up on others duelists. The result is total chaos as multiple duels with multiple duelists in them happen across several episodes.

* The UniquenessValue of the ace cards used by the protagonists is deconstructed by Pendulum Monsters. Yuya having the only ones makes him a target for people who want to steal them, others think he's a cheater that uses hacked cards, and yet others think he's a coward for relying on an unfair advantage no one else has. This is further deconstructed when a plot point is Reiji's attempt to replicate Pendulum Monsters with new cards for mass production.

* The HardLight technology of the holograms is ''viciously'' deconstructed. ''Arc-V'' makes it clear what technology of that level would more likely be used for -- war. Repeatedly, characters do battle by using their holographic monsters to fight (not a proper duel, just a monster battle), characters are at risk of getting harmed by the holograms, at extreme times there's immense property damage, and the holograms are often used to get around easier. Being a duelist in ''Arc-V'' means being more than just good at Duel Monsters -- it means being athletic enough to jump and run around on a regular basis, and brave enough to do it knowing you could get hurt at any time.