History DeconstructedCharacterArchetype / Pokemon

* ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite''
** The Striton Triplets, Cilan, Chili and Cress, deconstruct TheDividual. In both their restaurant and battle, the three perfectly compliment each-other's weaknesses. But in a flashback in ''Black 2 and White 2'' the group discuss how the compliment they most often get, "[[CondescendingCompassion the three of you combined make one great trainer]]", doesn't reflect well on their ''individual'' strengths, but it's not an inaccurate assessment either, as proven when the Shadow Triad [[CurbStompBattle wipes the floor with them.]] This leads them to resign as Gym Leaders and train themselves individually, as the other Leaders would continue to surpass them otherwise.

*** Kieran's character arc deconstructs the series' traditional [[TheRival rival]] tropes. Earlier rivals typically fell into one of two categories: the FriendlyRival and the {{Jerkass}}. [[spoiler: Kieran starts as a "friendly" rival, but gradually ''becomes'' a "jerk rival" due to taking his repeated losses very badly]]. While other games had the "jerk rivals" focus their negative tendancies at the player, Kieran lashes out at any and everyone who he thinks is weak and has everyone concerned about how such a sweet kid turned toxic. Instead of someone who the player wants to take down a peg as Blue or Silver was, "jerk rival" Kieran is rather painful to watch.

*** In perhaps a grand moment of {{Irony}}, the game also introduces a feature allowing your PC Pokémon to partake in fun activities like harvest berries, train, relax, mine and so on, allowing you to subvert what [[spoiler:Lusamine]] does. The guy who runs it, Mohn, is a little eccentric, but loves Pokemon. He's [[spoiler:Lusamine's husband and Lillie and Gladion's father who ended up being sucked into a portal before arriving in Poke Pelago and losing his memories. His disappearance was what led to Lusamine's StartOfDarkness in the first place.]]

*** In perhaps a grand moment of {{Irony}}, the game also introduces a feature allowing your PC Pokemon to partake in fun activities like harvest berries, train, relax, mine and so on, allowing you to subvert what [[spoiler:Lusamine]] does. The guy who runs it, Mohn, is a little eccentric, but loves Pokemon. He's [[spoiler:Lusamine's husband and Lillie and Gladion's father who ended up being sucked into a portal before arriving in Poke Pelago and losing his memories. His disappearance was what led to Lusamine's StartOfDarkness in the first place.]]

** In the base game, Professor Sada (Scarlet Version) and Professor Turo (Violet Version) deconstruct the archetype of the Pokemon Professor, a quirky mentor figure who dedicates their life to knowing more about the world of Pokemon by showing the end results of what happens when their dedication becomes an obsession.
*** First of all, the professor does not fulfill the gameplay roles of the traditional Pokemon professor, with the staff of the academy instead taking that role and the professor only contacting you when stuff directly related to their research comes up. This makes them a reclusive figure who has been neglecting their relationships, especially with their son Arven and caused the otherwise NiceGuy to develop a grudge against the Koraidon/Miraidon their parent managed to summon.
*** Then things get real when the player and their friends are invited into Area Zero to solve an upcoming crisis. Through journal entries it's learnt that the professor wasn't merely dedicated to their work, they were '''obsessed''' with the mysteries of Area Zero and the Paradox Pokemon. [[spoiler:Determining they must have come from another time period, they build a time machine to summon more, which rather than just being a neat way to explain unusual Pokemon, is treated like the ticking environmental timebomb mass the introduction of new species would be.]] Eventually their obsession drove out everyone in their life, even their partner, leaving them alone and paranoid.
*** In the end, [[spoiler: the professor died at the hands of one of the many Paradox Pokemon they summoned, but their obsession was so great that, via security protocols programmed into their [[RobotMe AI replica]], they posthumously end up being the final villain of the game.]] Previous professors dedicated their life to the study of Pokemon to sometimes unhealthy levels, but Sada/Turo shows what happens when that becomes all consuming.

*** He also deconstructs MightMakesRight as he declares that DuelsDecideEverything when he knows he's in the wrong and doesn't have the moral justification to back it up. [[spoiler:When he finds that Ogerpon, the Legendary Pokemon he's been obsessing over has instead taken a shine to the protagonist, he demands a battle for the right to catch her with no regard to what she wants and when he loses, instead of assessing his behavior, he concludes that he wasn't strong enough and becomes obsessed with defeating the protagonist with [[{{Unsmile}} a crazed smile]].]]

*** ''Diamond and Pearl'' deconstructs Ash himself as the AllLovingHero. Ash's unconditional love for all Pokemon and belief in their abilities has led him to becoming ''too'' reliant on ThePowerOfFriendship over actually battling competently; this puts him at constant odds with his SocialDarwinist [[TheRival rival]] Paul, who believes love and friendship are no match for raw power and calculated strategy. Ash's desperation to prove Paul wrong only makes things worse, as Paul is easily able to manipulate Ash's emotions and force him into even worse situations. The deconstruction hits its peak in their full battle at Lake Acuity; Ash expects to win with little more than a burning sense of justice on his side, while Paul has spent 10 whole days specifically preparing his team to counter Ash's, and Ash gets absolutely destroyed at an overwhelming [[CurbStompCushion 6-2 loss]].

* Lance from the ''Manga/PokemonAdventures'' manga is a deconstruction of FriendToAllLivingThings. Like Yellow, he can sense the thoughts and feelings of Pokemon, considers them his closest friends, and is able to heal them after battles. [[WellIntentionedExtremist However, due to seeing how much Pokemon have suffered under human-made pollution and destruction of their habitats, unlike Yellow, he gains a massive grudge against humankind]]. He believes humans and Pokemon to be near-incapable of coexistence, from what his Pokemon friends have been hurt by, and aims to [[KillAllHumans take revenge]]. Yellow herself reconstructs this, though, as she notes that yes, humans have negatively impacted Pokemon populations through their development and pollution (such as causing a pack of Mankey to starve), but she also recognizes that several people do genuinely care for Pokemon and vice versa (after her first battle with Lance, she asks Red's Pikachu, Pika, if he really would be happy in a world without humans), and she asserts that to slaughter the human race, as Lance intends to, is an extreme position whose ends aren't as utopian as they seem.

*** Kieran's character arc deconstructs the series' traditional [[TheRival rival]] tropes. Earlier rivals typically fell into one of two categories: the FriendlyRival and the {{Jerkass}}. [[spoiler: Kieran starts as a "friendly" rival, but gradually ''becomes'' a "jerk rival" due to taking his repeated losses very badly]]. While other games had the "jerk rivals" focus their negetive tendancies at the player, Kieran lashes out at any and everyone who he thinks is weak and has everyone concerned about how such a sweet kid turned toxic. Instead of someone who the player wants to take down a peg as Blue or Silver was, "jerk rival" Kieran is rather painful to watch.

*** In the end, [[spoiler: the professor died at the hands of one of the many Paradox Pokemon they summoned, but their obsession was so great that, via security protocols programmed into their [[RobotMe AI replica]], they post humously end up being the final villain of the game.]] Previous professors dedicated their life to the study of Pokemon to sometimes unhealthy levels, but Sada/Turo shows what happens when that becomes all consuming.

** In the game's first DLC pack, ''The Teal Mask'', Kieran and his arc deconstructs the idea of the ShrinkingViolet, specifically that they'll be better socially and happier if they express themselves. He starts off shy and unable to express himself under his overbearing sister and quickly takes a shine to the protagonist. But as the story goes on, and he finds himself locked out of the loop, he finds the drive to express himself, and it wasn't pleasant feelings he was keeping bottled up. Even after the protagonist apologises, Kieran's now expressing his previously bottled up SoreLoser tendencies. Turns out, being emotionally repressed can lead to some dark ways of thinking and developing.

*** Kieran's character arc deconstructs the series' traditional [[TheRival rival]] tropes. Earlier rivals typically fell into one of two categories: the FriendlyRival and the {{Jerkass}}. [[spoiler: Kieran starts as a "friendly" rival, but gradually ''becomes'' a "jerk rival" due to taking his repeated losses very badly]]. While other games had the "jerk rivals" focus their negetive tendancies at the player, Kieran lashes out at any and everyone who he thinks is weak and has everyone cocnerned about how such a sweet kid turned toxic so instead of someone who the player wants to take down a peg as Blue or Silver was, "jerk rival" Kieran is isntead rather painful to watch.

*** Kieran's character arc deconstructs the series' traditional [[TheRival rival]] tropes. Earlier rivals typically fell into one of two categories: the FriendlyRival and the {{Jerkass}}. [[spoiler: Kieran starts as a "friendly" rival, but gradually ''becomes'' a "jerk rival" due to taking his repeated losses very badly]].

*** The ''XY'' series deconstructs the ToBeAMaster trope with Alain. His total focus on becoming the strongest causes him to neglect the people important in his life and be an UnwittingPawn for Team Flare. He believes that beating every strong trainer would make him stronger yet [[HeroicBSOD finds himself helpless]] when actual danger arrives. [[VictoryIsBoring He stops enjoying his wins]] and [[AndThenWhat never considers what to do after he became the strongest]], his reasons behind it constantly changing to justify his path. [[spoiler:And despite always winning battles, Alain finds himself feeling inferior to Ash Ketchum, who encompasses the happiness and wisdom that he never got under Lysandre's guidance.]]

DeconstructedCharacterArchetype examples from this franchise.

** ''Diamond and Pearl'' deconstructs Ash himself as the AllLovingHero. Ash's unconditional love for all Pokemon and belief in their abilities has led him to becoming ''too'' reliant on ThePowerOfFriendship over actually battling competently; this puts him at constant odds with his SocialDarwinist [[TheRival rival]] Paul, who believes love and friendship are no match for raw power and calculated strategy. Ash's desperation to prove Paul wrong only makes things worse, as Paul is easily able to manipulate Ash's emotions and force him into even worse situations. The deconstruction hits its peak in their full battle at Lake Acuity; Ash expects to win with little more than a burning sense of justice on his side, while Paul has spent 10 whole days specifically preparing his team to counter Ash's, and Ash gets absolutely destroyed at an overwhelming [[CurbStompCushion 6-2 loss]].
** The ''XY'' series deconstructs the ToBeAMaster trope with Alain. His total focus on becoming the strongest causes him to neglect the people important in his life and be an UnwittingPawn for Team Flare. He believes that beating every strong trainer would make him stronger yet [[HeroicBSOD finds himself helpless]] when actual danger arrives. [[VictoryIsBoring He stops enjoying his wins]] and [[AndThenWhat never considers what to do after he became the strongest]], his reasons behind it constantly changing to justify his path. [[spoiler:And despite always winning battles, Alain finds himself feeling inferior to Ash Ketchum, who encompasses the happiness and wisdom that he never got under Lysandre's guidance.]]
** Ash himself goes through his own deconstruction, involving his Bond Phenomenon with Greninja. When it first manifests, it seems like a tremendous asset for winning battles (as it allows them to tap a SuperMode similar to Mega Evolution without requiring a Mega Stone), but his inability to control this power and the physical strain it places on him leads to him losing two battles in a row, leaving him in an OOC funk. Fortunately, he manages to reconstruct himself by remembering his basic love for Pokémon, giving him the inner balance to properly harness this power.

*** First of all, the professor does not fufill the gameplay roles of the traditional Pokemon professor with the staff of the academy isntead taking that role and the professor only contacting you when stuff directly related to their research comes up. This makes them a reslusive figure who has been neglecting their relationships, especially with their son Arven and caused the otherwise NiceGuy to develop a grudge against the Koraidon/Miraidon their parent managed to summon.

** In the game's first DLC pack, ''The Teal Mask'', Kieran and his arc deconstructs the idea of the ShrinkingViolet, specifically that they'll be better socially and happier if they express themselves. He starts off shy and unable to express himself under his overbearing sister and quickly takes a shine to the protagonist. But as the story goes on, and he finds himself locked out of the loop, he finds the drive to express himself, and it wasn't pleasant feelings he was keeping bottled up. Even after the protagonist apologises, Kieran's now expressing his previously bottled up SoreLoser tendencies. Turns out, being emotionally repressed can lead to some dark ways of thinking developing.

*** Then things get real when the player and their friends are invited into Area Zero to solve an upcoming crisis. Through journal entries it's learnt that the professor wasn't dedicated to their work, they were '''obsessed''' with the mysteries of Area Zero and the Paradox Pokemon. [[spoiler:Determining they must have come from another time period, they build a time machine to summon more, which rather than just being a neat way to explain unusual Pokemon, is treated like the ticking environmental timebomb mass the introduction of new species would be.]] Eventually their obsession drove out everyone in their life, even their partner, leaving them alone and paranoid.
*** In the end, [[spoiler: the professor died at the hands of one of the many Paradox Pokemon they summoned, but their obsession was so great that, via security protocols programmed into their [[RobotMe AI replica]], they post humously end up being the final villain of the game.]] Previous professors dedicated their life to the study of Pokemon, but Sada/Turo shows what happens when that becomes all consuming.

He also deconstructs MightMakesRight as he declares that DuelsDecideEverything when he knows he's in the wrong and doesn't have the moral justification to back it up. [[spoiler:When he finds that Ogerpon, the Legendary Pokemon he's been obsessing over has instead taken a shine to the protagonist, he demands a battle for the right to catch her with no regard to what she wants and when he loses, instead of assessing his behavior, he concludes that he wasn't strong enough and becomes obsessed with defeating the protagonist with [[{{Unsmile}} a crazed smile.]] ]]

** [[spoiler:Lusamine]] deconstructs a typical Pokémon protagonist. She wants to [[GottaCatchThemAll acquire all Pokémon]], much like how the protagonist may capture all Pokémon for the Pokedex. When a new, unidentified Pokémon appears, she becomes obsessed with having it. When the heroes call her cruel for treating her Pokémon like exhibits or trophies after seeing her [[spoiler:collection of cryogenically frozen Pokémon]], she counters that the heroes have likely caught a bunch of Pokémon solely for the sake of having them and have ignored said Pokémon since.

* In ''VideoGame/DetectivePikachu'', the titular Pikachu is a deconstruction of how Pikachu are portrayed, being cynical and sarcastic rather than cheerful and playful, due to being frustrated over nobody but TheHero being able to understand his PokemonSpeak.