Deidara

originated from Iwagakure and was the former pupil of the Third Tsuchikage. He was also one of the youngest members of Akatsuki, and was partnered with Sasori and Tobi consecutively before his death.

Background
Deidara was the student of the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki. Despite Deidara often annoying his sensei, Ōnoki was still proud of him. Even during his days as a shinobi in his home town of Iwagakure, Deidara garnered high praise for his clay sculptures. However, he still desired to reach even greater heights. At first, he simply focused on creating more and more works, but before long, he started craving a kinjutsu that was passed down in Iwagakure: a technique that allows one to knead chakra into substances.

He violated the law and stole the technique, causing him to be pursued. However, as the Exploding Clay he had used for the first time detonated and took down his pursuers, he saw the art he had desired: the. Whenever he detonates his Exploding Clay, he recalls the process that allowed him to reach this art.

After he fled his village and became a missing-nin, he started helping insurgents in various countries as a terrorist bomber. This is how Akatsuki eventually caught wind of him. Sometime after Orochimaru left Akatsuki, Deidara was located by Itachi Uchiha, Kisame Hoshigaki, and Sasori, who were under the orders of the leader, Pain, to recruit him. Deidara refused at first, resulting in Itachi challenging him, promising to leave him alone if Deidara won. Deidara willingly accepted Itachi's challenge, but was easily defeated by Itachi's Sharingan, and joined the Akatsuki. Deidara, having taken a huge blow to his ego, carried a murderous loathing for Itachi and the Sharingan for the rest of his life, although he was intelligent enough to recognize Itachi as a more powerful opponent. However, he did take steps during his time with Akatsuki to get revenge on Itachi, such as training his left eye to counter genjutsu.

Personality
Quick to be angered and easily annoyed, Deidara was very hot-headed and often tended to overreact to certain things. Something of a sadistic arsonist rather, he was not above enjoying a good fight, and he often blew up his opponents in a very brutal fashion. Deidara's most distinctive trait, however, was his love of art. He would respect any form of it, even if it disagreed with his own. Deidara also had a habit of ending his sentences with, roughly translated as "yeah" or "hm". The latter is used in the VIZ version.

Deidara referred to his explosive ninjutsu as art, believing each bomb he made to be a significant accomplishment. He referred to his style as superflat (referring to certain types of art), and claimed pop (another art style) is dead. One of Deidara's catchphrases,, was originally coined by famous Japanese abstract artist Tarō Okamoto (several of Deidara's explosives have resembled Okamoto's works too). Deidara was very proud of his art, to the point that he was simply unwilling to accept that anything could defeat it, at least when he knew he was still able to fight. Yet, he was intelligent enough to recognize stronger opponents. However, he utterly despised Itachi and the Sharingan, believing the latter is not anything artistic, and an insult to his Exploding Clay; this led Deidara to hate Itachi's younger brother, Sasuke, as well, due to them bearing the same eyes and Sasuke also insulted the art with his own Sharingan.

Deidara referred to his partner Sasori as, out of respect for him as a fellow artist. He also admitted, at least outwardly, that Sasori was more powerful than he was. In spite of this, Deidara wasn't above goading his partner, and they frequently squabbled over the nature of true art (Deidara holding that art is transient and departing quickly; Sasori believing fine art is something wonderful that's left long into the future). This reflected their individual natures (Deidara made clay sculptures that exploded; Sasori made long-lasting puppets out of humans). Deidara outwardly seemed to respect Sasori's beliefs, but couldn't resist getting a final jab in after Sasori's death.

Deidara's partnership with his second partner, Tobi, however, was very different. Tobi apparently held a great respect for Deidara, and frequently called him. Tobi's carefree and goofy personality greatly irritated Deidara, who believed that all Akatsuki members should be calm, talking less and acting serious. Tobi frequently and unintentionally angered Deidara, which usually resulted in him attacking Tobi in a comedic fashion (e.g. blasting him with his exploding clay or strangling him with his legs). In battle, however, the two quickly set aside their differences, and worked well together. Deidara also seemed to have a minor sense of appreciation for Tobi, as shown when he apologized to his partner in his thoughts before he initiated his Self-Destruction technique.

Appearance
Deidara had slanted blue eyes and very long blond hair which he wore drawn into a half ponytail. The bang hanging over his left eye is what concealed his scope signifying that he was a long-range fighter, but, as shown in his fight with Sasuke, it was not permanently attached to his face. He also had mouths in each of the palms of his hands for shaping his clay and under his cloak he wore a utility belt with two bags where he carried all of his clay. Deidara had one of his arms crushed by Gaara's sand, and the elbow of his other arm was blown into another dimension by Kakashi. Deidara had his arms restored by having Kakuzu sew what was left of his arms with what appears to be a transplanted arm. His transplant was darkbrown and had several wrinckles on it.

On his chest he had a large, stitched-up mouth for setting off his self-destruct technique. On his right index finger was his Akatsuki ring, which bore the kanji for. He wears black nail polish on his fingers and toes.

After Kabuto resurrected him, Deidara wore a black cloak with a white collar, ceased wearing his Forehead Protector (which resulted his hair being much looser, though still tied in a ponytail), and the whites of his eyes changed to a dark color.

Abilities
Deidara was very intelligent, often using tricks, misdirection, and calculated gambles to get his explosives in range of an opponent, like he did in the fight against Gaara, putting clay into Gaara's sand when it destroyed his arm. As a long-range specialist, he was weaker in close combat, but skilled enough to hold off a close combat battle with specialists like Team Guy despite having lost both of his arms prior to their confrontation, and had a variety of techniques in his arsenal to escape close quarters when necessary. Deidara's abilities were well recognized within Akatsuki, and the leader, Pain, openly admitted that he was something unique, and that his loss was a major blow to the group.

Exploding Clay
A fancy and skillful fighter, Deidara possessed special mouths in the palm of each hand to create Exploding Clay, chakra-infused clay that detonated with the command and a single-hand hand seal of either tiger or ram. This clay could be molded into a wide variety of shapes and forms, growing to large sizes when infused with chakra (with Deidara performing the necessary hand seals), and could be controlled at will. This allowed him to create living explosives to attack opponents at long range. Deidara could even create clones from the clay, named Suicide Bombing Clones, that could be a deadly surprise for opponents. Deidara's clay creations ranged from microscopic to gigantic in size, allowing him to adapt to any situation. Deidara could also use the clay for other purposes, as he was frequently seen creating birds to be used for transportation. It seemed he also knew standard earth-based jutsu, as shown from his Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique, which he used to avoid damage from one of his mass-scale bombs. However, he could potentially run out of clay if he used too much of it, leaving him vulnerable. Since all of his explosives were earth-based, they were vulnerable to lightning, and could thereby be defused with lightning-based attacks.

Eye Enhancement
He also wore a scope on his left eye for long-range observation, and he had trained the eye itself to counter genjutsu, allowing him to see through and negate them. This was done in response to Itachi's powerful genjutsu skills, of which he had a considerable loathing, and wished to defeat if he got the chance.

Kazekage Rescue Arc
Deidara, with Sasori, traveled to Sunagakure, to capture Gaara and extract the Shukaku within him. Although he attempted a stealthy infiltration of the village, Deidara was quickly confronted by Gaara, who launched an offensive against him. In the ensuing battle, Deidara's left arm was crushed, but he was still able to claim victory by mixing some of his clay into Gaara's sand, causing Gaara's own weapon to backfire. With Gaara captured, Deidara and Sasori convened with the rest of Akatsuki to extract Shukaku.

When Team Kakashi arrived at their location, Deidara was hoping to capture his second tailed beast. So to enrage Naruto Uzumaki (the container of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox), he sat on Gaara's corpse while waiting for the team, to further anger him. This worked, and Naruto's fox energy began to emerge, and he was dead set on tailing Deidara. Deidara took advantage of this, and took Gaara's body to lead away Kakashi Hatake and Naruto, leaving Sasori to deal with Sakura and Chiyo. Deidara noticed that Naruto was an extraordinary jinchūriki and felt more interested in fighting him. He tried to separate Naruto from Kakashi so he could fight Naruto and capture him. Kakashi used his Kamui to sever Deidara's other arm during the pursuit, giving Naruto a chance to retrieve Gaara. Handicapped and outnumbered, Deidara used a Suicide Bombing Clone to escape. Knowing Sasori to have died during his battle, Deidara went looking for his arm, in order to get back his Akatsuki ring. He found it in the possession of Zetsu and Tobi. At some point, Deidara found his remaining arm and had both of them reattached by Kakuzu.

Three-Tails Arc
Deidara appeared later, with his arms successfully reattached by Kakuzu. In the anime, he and his new partner, Tobi, found that their next mission was to capture the Three-Tailed Giant Turtle. Along the way, they took a break at a nearby dango shop. Deidara also showed an interest in what Tobi looked like behind his mask, only for him to be tricked by Tobi to look away for a moment. After a short fight between the two, due to Tobi's antics, they split up to seek out the beast.

Later, Deidara snuck up on and killed two Konoha ANBU, who were sending a report on the Three-Tails. Tobi congratulated Deidara, and they headed for the lake. Deidara commented that, since Tobi was a part of Akatsuki, he should be able to capture the beast himself. Tobi ran as it was chasing him, but got tangled up with the three tails. Deidara sent an exploding clay fish into the lake and it detonated, allowing Tobi to capture it. As they both took the Three-Tails away, Tobi gloated that he took it down with a special technique of his, although Deidara belived it was his explosive clay that did it. Tobi later fell asleep while Deidara was talking, which Deidara responded to by exploding more clay next to him.

Hunt for Itachi Arc
After sealing the Four-Tailed Monkey, Deidara learned that Naruto and the Eight-man Squad were searching for Itachi and Sasuke. When Naruto was mentioned, he openly said that he held a grudge against Naruto when he punched him in the face, and for disrespecting his art. He also heard about the death of former Akatsuki member, Orochimaru. Having wanted to kill Orochimaru himself, Deidara and Tobi sought out Orochimaru's killer: Sasuke Uchiha, the younger brother of Itachi Uchiha. When they finally found Sasuke, Tobi assisted in Deidara's assault against him, cornering Sasuke with a minefield below him and Deidara's bombs above him.

Despite showing some success, even using his C4 meant for Itachi, Sasuke proved able to counteract all of Deidara's efforts because of his Sharingan and lightning-based abilities. Deidara cursed the Sharingan, as well as Itachi and Sasuke, and made one last attempt to defeat the Uchiha by using C0 to blow himself up. The attempt failed, as Sasuke summoned Manda to protect himself, at the cost of Manda's life, leaving Deidara's death to be in vain.

Confining the Jinchūriki Arc
Kabuto Yakushi resurrected Deidara, along with Itachi, Nagato, Kakuzu, and Sasori, through the Summoning: Impure World Resurrection, as a demonstration of Kabuto's power to Madara. Later, Kabuto uses Deidara to transport himself on one of his clay birds and later placed a tag on his head, saying it was different from Orochimaru's and that he wouldn't bind Deidara to his will completely. He seemed quite content with the idea of fighting Naruto again, because he had a score to settle with him.

Enroute to the island, they are both ambushed by Ōnoki, with Akatsuchi and Kurotsuchi. However, both Kabuto and Deidara are revealed to be Clay Clones and were then blown up. By Kabuto's orders, they continue towards the island, rather than engaging with Ōnoki in battle. He is ordered by Kabuto to mold a big bomb, which takes a jellyfish form and explodes beneath the giant tortoise. Deidara offered to let Kabuto go ahead to look for Killer Bee and Naruto while he fought Ōnoki and his bodyguards. During the battle his explosives was blocked by Akatsuchi's Golem Technique. After being drawn away from the giant island turtle, Deidara challenges Ōnoki's Dust Release with his own explosive clay, but before he could attack he was placed back in the coffin, much to his dismay.

Later, he is re-summoned again with other deceased Akatsuki by Kabuto, preparing for war. He and Sasori are placed with Shin and Chūkichi in Akatsuki's Surprise Attack and Diversion Platoon. After fighting with Sasori about art, he locates Anko Mitarashi's remaining squad members. He complains about Muta Aburame's bugs and proceeds to defeat Muta and his team. Deidara then places his exploding clay in Muta's bug jar, with Sasori controlling him, setting a trap of the Surprise Attack Division. They see through it and Deidara explodes the clay. Muta dies, but the Surprise Attack Division survives due to Ittan's intervention. Deidara tells them only one ambush squad can win, and that they can't lose because they're immortal. Deidara tells Omoi to keep his speeches to himself, so Omoi pretends to attack Deidara, actually freeing Ranka and Tokuma from Sasori's control, enraging Deidara. Deidara detonates clay he placed inside Shin, but Kankurō manages to smother it. He's displeased that the explosion was smothered, and provokes Sai by calling Shin a bomb. Deidara teases Sai further, saying he's a weakling who couldn't replace Sasuke, and then ridicules Sai's art when he sees him start drawing, reminding him he can make Shin into a bomb again due to their immortality. Sai attacks Deidara and Sasori, putting them in position to be contained by Kankurō's Black Ant puppets. Deidara says he'll use his C0 again, despite it cheapening his art, but he is pierced by Omoi's sword, who is channeling lightning chakra to diffuse his clay.

Legacy
When news of Deidara's death reaches the rest of Akatsuki, Pain comments that his loss is a huge blow to the organization. He instructs the other members to mourn his death.

Despite Iwagakure ridiculing his artistic values and his subsequent defection from the village, Deidara has earned some respect from certain high-ranking villagers, as Kurotsuchi called him "Deidara-nii" (an honorific meaning "big brother", either as family or a sign of respect), and wished to fight the person who defeated him: Sasuke Uchiha. The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, also seemed displeased that someone like Sasuke could defeat Deidara.

Trivia

 * Deidara ranked 3rd in one official character popularity poll shortly after his debut, one rank above Naruto. He also ranked higher than any other member of Akatsuki (though at the point that poll was taken, only about half of Akatsuki's members were formally introduced).
 * Unknown to him, his second partner, Tobi, has the kekkei genkai he despised the most: the Sharingan.
 * Deidara was apparently very curious as to what was behind Tobi's mask, as when they stopped to eat dango during the Three-Tails Arc, he began to tense up when Tobi began to remove his mask to eat.
 * Deidara's famous, that he uses to detonate his bombs, is used in Zen Buddhism to scold practitioners.
 * According to the 3rd Databook:
 * Deidara had completed 82 official missions in total: 4 D-rank, 27 C-rank, 35 B-rank, 13 A-rank, 3 S-rank.
 * Deidara's hobby was experimenting with explosions.
 * Deidara wished to fight Itachi Uchiha.
 * Deidara's favorite food was bakudan, a pun on the actual food (boiled eggs in surimi) and the Japanese word meaning bombs.
 * Deidara's least favorite food was mixed rice/pilaf.
 * Deidara's favorite phrase was "Art is an Explosion!".
 * Tobi commented that Deidara would die from an explosion, while Sasori said that he was the type to die young. Deidara would later self-destruct, as a last ditch effort to kill Sasuke.
 * He referred to his previous partner Sasori as, but Sasori was not the only person that Deidara called with this title: in an omake, Deidara referred Kisame as "Kisame no Danna" as well.
 * In chapter 514, Deidara refers to his Exploding Clay techniques as, despite earlier establishment that his techniques are earth-natured.

Quotes

 * (Catchphrase) "Art is an explosion!"
 * (Before killing the Suna guards) "Look at those fools. They have no appreciation for art. You have to feel art. And true art... is an EXPLOSION!"
 * (To Sasori) "Fine art is the beauty of that single fleeting moment of explosion."
 * (To Tobi, after he mocked how Deidara had lost his arms) "Tobi, even the buddha loses patience when insulted a third time. One more word and there'll be no doubt about the cause of your death."
 * (To Sasuke) "You think you're so cool! And those eyes make me sick!! Always judging me... and my art!! You have no appreciation of the beauty of my work... and it makes me want to kill you!!"
 * (Last words to Sasuke) "Now, cower in awe! Shout in despair! Because my art... is an EXPLOSION!"
 * (To Ōnoki) "Shut up! I killed Sasuke Uchiha! And you're next, you art-hating sack of wrinkles!"