Yukari deconstructs the Tsundere archetype. Instead of being a straight Jerkass, Yukari is fairly reasonable and kind when her trust issues and pride don't get in the way. Said trust issues come from her deceased father being blamed for an explosion that she knows Mitsuru's family was responsible for, and her mother neglecting her to find shallow comfort in other men. Yukari's pride is the direct result of having to be independent since childhood, so she hates accepting help from others, even though she's aware that this is a shortcoming of hers. Even Yukari's Mood-Swinger habits are a byproduct of this, as Yukari is known to lash out at the nearest person when upset or agitated, especially when she had to accept help from them, then regret it immediately and apologize. As a final note, Yukari's parental issues caused her to believe that Love Hurts, which is why she alternates between enjoying her time spent with the male protagonist when she's in a good mood and being terrified of him reciprocating her feelings when she's in a bad mood. It also leads to her being so distraught over the ending that she nearly suffers a Heroic BSoD. The protagonist sacrifices himself in the finale of the original story. By the time of The Answer, when an opportunity to potentially revive him is presented, Yukari's willing to fight her friends to do so on account of being heavily implied to have developed romantic feelings for him, and being so upset by his loss that she cannot properly process it.
Junpei deconstructs Heroic Wannabe. Having grown up being told he's worthless by his alcoholic father, Junpei is overjoyed when he gets his Persona, seeing it as his chance to prove he's worth something. But even so, Junpei remains a Butt-Monkey and gets upset when the protagonist outdoes him without even trying. This is even more painful with the female protagonist, since they're best friends. Junpei ends up making some boneheaded decisions from this, such as telling a girl that he's the leader of S.E.E.S., and gets kidnapped when that girl turns out to be one of their enemies, even if it does benefit him in the long run.
Akihiko deconstructs Blood Knight. His entire reason for fighting is to protect his loved ones, but the problem is that it also distracts him from his emotional problems. Since he enjoys fighting so much, he's let his will to fight take over his life. Shinjiro, Mitsuru, and the female protagonist all take issue with this sort of self-destructive behavior, and agree that he's running away from his problems instead of solving them by continuously getting into fights for the sake of fighting.
Mitsuru deconstructs Lonely Rich Kid. Being the heiress of a Fiction 500 megacorp, Mitsuru has a hard time connecting to her teammates and has a habit of treating them like subordinates and coworkers. Though she tries to make a show of being professional and in control, it falls apart when it turns out she has no idea how to socialize or even function in a middle-class way, alienating the other members of S.E.E.S. when her comments become too insensitive. On some level, she believes that being hands-off with them is for the best, hides information from them out of guilt and pride, and makes no attempt to reach out to them for most of the game. Her father confronts her about her aloof nature and tells her she really needs to be more open with her friends instead of feeling the need to shoulder everything herself.
Ken deconstructs Adults Are Useless. They're not, but Ken had no way of knowing that when his mother's death at the hands of a rogue Persona user was written off as an accident, and the police officers laughed him off when he tried to explain what he saw. Ken became hellbent on revenge, deciding to take matters into his own hands and kill said Persona user Shinjiro himself. He also deconstructs Adorably Precocious Child, as all his "precocious" mannerisms are later revealed to be unhealthy coping mechanisms for his trauma, and he wasn't just considering murder, he was also suicidal. Put simply, Ken's desire to grow up too fast is not portrayed as a good thing, and he's still feeling the effects even in Persona 4: Arena Ultimax, where he's a young teen.
Yosuke Hanamura deconstructs Stepford Smiler and/or Sad Clown. He makes jokes and humor to cope with the fact that he moved to a town against his will and not wholly liked (due to his dad being the manager of the Walmart expy, hence why they moved). His Shadow accuses him of going on the whole journey because he's bored and looking for something interesting to do, while wanting to be a big hero. Furthermore, he also ends up gaining resentment toward his own best friend, the P4 protagonist (though unlike Junpei, it does not hamper him and the two slug it out to help.)
Chie Satonaka deconstructs Tomboy, as it's made clear from encountering her Shadow that she is quite uncomfortable with people seeing her as unfeminine. This leads to resentment of her best friend, Yukiko while her Shadow points out that she enjoys Yukiko being dependent on her. She also mildly deconstructs Big Eater, as she mentions that her ravenous appetite is one of the things she finds unfeminine about herself and is thusly ashamed of.
Yukiko Amagi deconstructs Yamato Nadeshiko, as it's noted she feels powerless and weak, and believes she has no choice but to inherit her family's inn (neither of which is actually the case, as she learns in her Social Link).
Rise Kujikawa deconstructs Idol Singer and Kawaiiko, having originally gone into the music business because of a love of singing and a desire to make friends, only to grow fearful of the idea that people only see her for her idol persona.
Kanji Tatsumi deconstructs Real Men Wear Pink and Bruiser with a Soft Center. As a child, Kanji was ostracized for his sewing hobby, love of cute things and Ambiguously Gay nature and had very few friends. This led to him adopting a "tough guy" persona and getting into many fights to come off as more "manly", in an attempt to both be accepted and appease his late father... which only further isolated him as now everyone in school was terrified of him. He also developed major sexuality issues, with his Shadow (representing his innermost insecurities and repressed thoughts) manifesting as an over-the-top Camp Gay. In the end, Kanji undergoes Character Development and realises that being a "real man" doesn't mean being strong, it means accepting himself for who he is, but it certainly doesn't come easily.
Naoto Shirogane deconstructs Kid Detective. While she herself is brilliant, none of the police take her seriously due to her age, and she turns out to have major issues over this. Her Shadow taunts her over how mature she tries to act to get past the "young detective" bit — it's worth noting that her Shadow flip-flops between overly mature dialogue and crying like a baby. She eventually has to accept that she's not an adult yet and shouldn't try to grow up too fast. However, this is also combined with her dealing her femininity since it's implied that she has issues over not being taken seriously due to being a girl (hence why her Shadow taunts her over becoming a "big strong man" from Naoto's detective fiction).
Mitsuo Kubo deconstructs Attention Whore. He is so desperate for attention and for people to notice him that he initially tries to take credit for the first two murders. This eventually causes Mitsuo to commit an actual murder in the end. It's telling that his Shadow takes the form of a baby, literally crying for attention.
He also deconstructs the Otaku as it is notPlayed for Laughs. His indulgences make him an Ineffectual Loner with a Lack of Empathy. His toxic lifestyle and the impact it has on his social life is what drives Mitsuo to murder for the sake of attention.
Ms. Kashiwagi, the Investigation Team's second homeroom teacher, deconstructs Sensei-chan and Hot Teacher. Nobody finds her immaturity or behavior endearing and she comes across as little more than a pathetic Attention Whore, and at worst, a criminal who hasn't been arrested for her actions. She also tries to be flirty with the students, but while she is attractive, her methods to do so involve hitting on students and acting like she's younger than she looks, meaning nobody finds her attractive, and instead find her creepy.
In the anime, the protagonist, Yu Narukami, deconstructs the idea of the main character being The Ace. When it comes to investigating the disappearances and fighting Shadows, he is every bit the Ace; but outside of that, he is clearly out of his element. His initial social interactions with others abounds with Brutal Honesty, from his discomfort with bunking with Kanji over his perceived sexuality to straight-up saying Rise sucks at origami. In spite of these difficulties, however, he comes to appreciate his friends and allies and grows to rely on them...to a potentially detrimental degree. This is first shown during the battle with Shadow Mitsuo, who traps him in an illusion where he and his friends drifted apart, leaving him alone. This comes to a head during the True Ending episode when Izanami traps him in a "Groundhog Day" Loop, but the idea of leaving his friends to return to his hometown, or losing them to Izanami, causes him to embrace being trapped in the loop just to keep them near him until Margaret snaps him out of it, and he ultimately confronts his own Shadow and comes to terms with the fact that his desire for friendship and his fear of losing them led him astray.
Morgana deconstructs Token Non-Human. He strongly believes he Was Once a Man, and becomes very touchy when people call him a cat. This is in spite of the fact that Morgana looks like a weird monster cat in the metaverse, and an actual cat in the real world. However, when evidence starts appearing that he was never human and will never be human, it leads to Morgana going into deep denial and questioning whether he belongs with his human friends. Morgana temporarily leaves the Phantom Thieves over an argument with Ryuji going over the line between the two of them.
Yusuke is a Starving Artist because his adopted father/mentor Madarame steals all the credit and profit for Yusuke's artwork, leaving Yusuke literally starving and overworked. On top of it, Yusuke becomes overly focused with creating art for the sake of art. Part of his Confidant is him getting over the idea that making artwork to earn money doesn't make him less of an artist or a bad person.
Makoto deconstructs the Student Council President. Rather than a character who has more power than the teachers and is beloved by everyone, Makoto is little more than a glorified gopher for the Principal of Shujin Academy, with no power to actually do anything about the issues she comes across. The majority of the student body sees her as an Academic Alpha Bitch who helps cover up the abuses by the school's staff (neither which is true of Makoto). This, combined with her strained relationship with her sister, leads Makoto to desperation in trying to be useful, getting herself caught by Japanese yakuza in a very poorly-thought-out plan. Afterwards, Makoto even admits that she was way too reckless and being called "useless" set her off.
Haru is the Ojou, but her rich lifestyle is merely a Gilded Cage where her father dictates her entire life, including an Arranged Marriage to an abusive man. She finds it hard to trust people as she isn't sure who likes her for who she is or for her money. Once her father dies, Haru is suddenly saddled with all the pressures of running a company, which she had no preparation for. And that's while dealing with grieving over her father's death.
Akechi deconstructs Great Detective. All his fame and fangirls are superficial and he is just as lonely and friendless as he was when he was growing up, except now people expect great things from him. He privately reveals to the Thieves that he isn't even passionate about the job; he continues to do it because he wants some catharsis from punishing criminals.
Ann is ethnically Japanese but has blue eyes, blonde hair and "white" facial features from her American grandparent. She is subjected to Slut-Shaming and nasty rumors about her and earns her unwanted attention from people like Kamoshida who attempts to use her best friend's starting position on the volleyball team as a means to get Ann to sleep with him.
Futaba is a Hikikomori because she suffers from trauma due seeing her mother being killed. She is aware how unhealthy her lifestyle is but is too afraid and suicidal to leave the house. Her foster father whom she adores is in danger of losing custody of her due to her unhealthy lifestyle.
Ryuji is one for Japanese Delinquents. Because everyone treated him like a delinquent, Ryuji decided to style himself like one. He is genuinely a Nice Guy and is an overwhelmingly forgiving and understanding person but was saddled with a bad reputation after Kamoshida ruined his life and caused Ryuji to snap and punch Kamoshida.
Royal's Kasumi deconstructs the Angsty Surviving Twin. It becomes clear that she was already mentally unwell "thanks" to being stuck in her sister's shadow, and now that Sumire is dead, it had reached the point that without any intervention she would have killed herself.
This gets worse when it's revealed that it was Kasumi that died in the accident, and the "Kasumi" you've been talking to is actually Sumire. Her inferiority complex from living in her sister's shadow, as well as indirectly causing her death, have led to Sumire believing that in order to be happy, she had to become Kasumi. When the truth is revealed, she is willing to fight against the party out of fear of going back to being Sumire.
Alice Hiiragi is a deconstructed Harem Seeker. She uses EMMA and her Jail to make every man in Shibuya fall in love with her, but she couldn't care less about using them for sex, she just wants to show up every woman in Shibuya due to her paranoid belief that they're all one big Girl Posse out for her blood.
Akane Hasegawa deconstructs Fangirl. She is a huge fan of the Phantom Thieves, runs a podcast on them and her room is full with their merchandise. However, she is only a fangirl of them as she thought they would dismantle the police force that she hated so much, interpreting their rebellious actions that all authority figures are inherently evil. When she got word that the Thieves "betrayed" her (by working with her father who is a police officer), she is quick to turn on them (never realizing she was manipulated by the Big Bad). In her Jail, her Shadow even creates her own cognitions of the Phantom Thieves, declaring the real ones to be fake.
Akira Konoe deconstructs Stupid Good. While he's a lot more calm, perceptive and intelligent than Shido ever could be (especially considering that his altruism is genuine), he still makes glaring oversights in his plans to capture the Phantom Thieves—namely his over-reliance on EMMA and his inability to double check anything he does.
Ichiro Nakabachi deconstructs Asshole Victim. An Evil Teacher who embezzled funds and blackmailed students to act as his personal spies, he was exposed and fired when Toshiro Kasukabe and Eri Natsuhara rallied his victims against him. Unfortunately, once his crimes were made known to the public all of the students despised him so much that they started blaming him for petty grievances that had nothing to do with him and started a lynch mob that would go as far as raiding his house. This drove him so insane that he absentmindedly tried to kill Natsuhara as revenge, causing her to slip into the train tracks, crippling her for life. In the end both Nakabachi and the students harassing him were punished, and the students went on to blame Toshiro for encouraging them to rebel in the first place. All of broke Toshiro, who convinced himself standing up to corruption would only bring pain. While Nakabachi was absolutely an asshole, victimizing him more than necessary made things worse for everyone involved.
