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i feel like an underexplored or perhaps even overlooked aspect of akechi's character is that he is a victim of narcissistic abuse and he expresses some learned narcissistic behavior of his own as a result of this.
shido, as a character, isn't really expounded upon in canon aside from the fact that he's a crooked politician, but he's an undoubtedly narcissistic one. his palace is the cruise of pride and it's shown time and time again he doesn't care for much aside from power & status.
he's a brilliant actor, as many narcissists are. he's also an effective liar & manipulator. a common thread from those who experience narcissistic abuse is how isolated they become, and i think this it's pretty explicit in game how isolated akechi is.
the greatest example of this is how in the engine room it's stated that akechi had the potential to be like joker, a wildcard, but never reached that point because he had no bonds or connections. zero confidants.
this, while encouraged by yaldabaoth, was ultimately set in stone the moment akechi approached shido. narcissists have an amazing way of isolating people for their own self-benefit.
akechi, at his core, is a deeply lonely person. loneliness can make people malleable, and shido used this to his advantage. by sprinkling praise here and there, he was able to both isolate akechi and create a self-perpetuating cycle. emphasis here on self-perpetuating.
akechi hates shido to be sure, but as much as he may want to deny it, "feeling special" also felt good. narcissistic praise has a way of building you up while putting others down: "we're better/smarter than everybody else" & "we don't need anybody but each other."
with this kind of praise, shido is able to play on a belief that akechi already has: that he is different & in some ways detached from society. instead of this being a bad thing, shido can frame it as a good thing. it appeals to akechi's dismissive-avoidant attachment style.
because of the nature of the foster system, he wasn't given the one-on-one care and validation he needed. his mother left him behind in the hands of uncaring adults. despite akechi's revenge plan, shido was the one who came around and made this downtrodden kid feel unique.
he's the only adult that ever made akechi feel worth something, even if it was all a manipulation tactic. akechi thought he was above it, that he didn't need things from other people, but in reality he's starving for connection. in the worst possible way, shido gave it to him.
what lonely fifteen year old doesn't want to hear that they are valuable? akechi was the perfect target to be groomed and shido took advantage of that. the greater repercussions of this are so clear in akechi's negative outlook of the world.
the thing is, you can never come out of an encounter with a narcissist unscathed. akechi is isolated, hypervigilant, arrogant, and "two-faced" because he learned this behavior in order to survive, compete and impress. he has to be "the best" or he is nothing.
narcissists become the center of your world. shido commands most of akechi's attention, both negative and positive. akechi is independent and has a life of his own but at the center of it you'll find shido. his motivations and actions revolve around him.
the things that i think have kept akechi from succumbing completely are his strong sense of justice and his plan for revenge. his anger and the memory of his mother are the only things keeping him from being completely absorbed by shido's gravitational pull, like a black hole.
tldr, i think it's pretty clear akechi thinks he's better than most people and this is a belief that can be very isolating. i'm willing to bet part of this attitude is because of shido's influence.
