Deidara

True art is not a static masterpiece, but an explosive moment of fleeting beauty.

Deidara is a character from the anime Naruto: Shippuden, voiced by Roger Craig Smith. He is a former ninja of Iwagakure who left the village after bombing it and worked as a bomber-for-hire until Itachi Uchiha forced him to join the Akatsuki. Deidara is known for his explosive clay techniques, which he uses to create various sculptures for combat and reconnaissance. His partnership with Sasori and later with Tobi defines his role within the Akatsuki. He is voiced by Katsuhiko Kawamoto in the Japanese anime.

Lore & Background

Deidara is a former ninja of the Hidden Stone Village (Iwagakure) whom Itachi Uchiha forced into the Akatsuki; he came to embrace the organization but kept a grudge against Itachi and every other Uchiha. He is partnered with Sasori and, after Sasori's death, with Tobi. Both of his hands have mouths that infuse clay with chakra to create "sculptures": bombs of varying intensity that he can animate and control remotely. With Sasori he captures Gaara, the Fifth Kazekage, for the One-Tailed Shukaku, losing his left arm in the battle and his right arm to Kakashi Hatake's Kamui afterwards. When Sasuke Uchiha systematically nullifies his bombs, Deidara turns himself into a living bomb in a last effort to kill him, and fails; Kabuto later resurrects him for the war, where Kankuro defeats him.

Reader's Guide

Deidara's grudge against the Uchiha comes from his feeling that their Sharingan eyes "look down on his artwork". He is annoyed by his second partner Tobi, yet becomes something of a teacher to him and comes to care about his well-being. Kakuzu restores both of the arms he loses during the capture of Gaara.