We're equal-opportunity celebrators when it comes to Naruto and Naruto Shippuden characters – good guys, bad guys, we don't discriminate. Especially when the bad guys are as, um, unusual as Deidara is. So in honor of the explosive one's May 5 birthday, check out the Deidara wallpaper on naruto.com for your enjoyment, and a tribute written by our editor Joel Enos... Don't forget to pass on your wishes in the naruto.com forum, too.

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Happy Birthday…Um…Deidara?

It’s a little hard to say we should all celebrate the fact that a crazy member of the Akatsuki who tried to kill Gaara, starting in Episode 6 [Mission Cleared] has a birthday coming up.

But it would be kind of interesting to see what kind of art project Deidara would come up with if he let his mouth-hand chew up some birthday cake.
 

I bet it would explode.

When it comes to blowing things up, Deidara’s art is definitely magic. We first get a glimpse of Deidara’s modern-influenced creations when he takes off on that flying thing in Episode 3 [The Results of Training]. But it’s in Episode 30 [Aesthetics of an Instant] when he whips out the big bird (so to speak) and apparently blows himself up while trying to vanquish Kakashi and Naruto. The battle that starts one episode before that is one of best ever when Deidara holds off Kakashi Sensei.

Just one guy knocking down all those ninja – including Naruto? That’s a lot of chakra wrangling even for an Akatsuki. But when you find out that Deidara’s actually the youngest member ever of the mysterious organization, that’s when you realize how powerful he really is. The Akatsuki is not a place where you just happen to become a member. Most members have deep grudges against the Leaf  and the political agenda of the Ninja World. For one so young, Deidara definitely harbors both.

His claims at artistry – considering all of his jutsu works of art rather than simply deft uses of chakra – seem pretentious at first. And his irritating speech patterns (that rhetorical hmmm?) might rub you the wrong way. But when you look at how far he’s come at so young – you have to hand it to him.

…just don’t try to hand it to his hand. You might end up getting bit.

-- Joel Enos (Naruto editor)
 

We launched another update of the vizanime.com site over this past weekend, with improvements in user comment displays, and a new poll function. Stay tuned because we're going to have fun with this new poll system over the next few months. And if you haven't caught up with the One Piece anime, our most recent addition to the site, now's the perfect time as episodes 1-114 are now up, and we continue with the current Impel Down storyline with episode 448 this week. This month also brings some exciting series into the fold, so stay tuned for those as well...

This week marks a turning point in the Naruto Shippuden saga, as Pain and his confederates mount a surprise attack on the Leaf Village! It's pretty poignant watching the beginning scenes of this episode, before the daily life of the village is shattered. (And we discover yet another good use for the Byakugan -- cheating at cards!) Things get pretty heavy in a hurry though, and it's pretty clear that from this point on, everything is about to change... and if that doesn't get you excited enough to watch this episode, then maybe you need some extra Sage Mode training along with Naruto! (That happens in this episode as well, by the way.)

Episode 157: Assault on the Leaf Village!
Shikamaru and the others wait for the information Jiraiya brought back to be analyzed. The Hidden Leaf ninja continue their data analysis, when disaster strikes the village

In the latest episode of Naruto Shippuden out today, Sasuke and his minions are up to no good, and Naruto continues his hard training. As a person who's a bit scared of heights, the training exercise involving a precarious mountain peak and maintaining your balance seems pretty intimidating... and we wouldn't even have a Toad Sage around to save you from a fall with a lash of his extra-long tongue! But perhaps the most important question raised by this episode is: which is better for you, potatos with mayo or larva riceballs? Hopefully we'll never be in a position to find out...

Episode 156: Surpassing the Master
Naruto continues his Sage training at Mount Myoboku, but with very slow progress. Fukasaku runs out of patience and suggests they move on to the next training…

Time to roll out the latest Naruto Shippuden box set (#2 this month), and this time around we've included some extras (see below) -- and don't forget the box set 2 special edition, which also includes a Deidara mininja figure! Who knew that evil could look so cute? As always, you get uncut dubbed and subtitled versions of every episode.

Sound off about the Naruto Shippuden anime in our naruto.com discussion forum.

Box Set Summary:

KUNOICHI VS. THE PUPPET MASTER! Team Kakashi is joined by Team Guy in their pursuit of Gaara's kidnappers, Deidara and Sasori, but their way to the Akatsuki hideout is fraught with familiar enemies and deadly traps. Once inside, Sakura and Granny Chiyo must take on Chiyo's own grandson, the puppet master Sasori, whose complex tricks and genius puppetry demand every last ounce of Chiyo's and Sakura's strength and skill to counter. Meanwhile, Naruto and Kakashi take off after Deidara, who is once again on the run with Gaara in tow...

DISC #4: Finally! Kakashi Sensei vs Itachi Uchiha!
Episode 14: Naruto’s Growth
Episode 15: The Secret Weapon is Called….
Episode 16: The Secret of Jinchuriki
Episode 17: The Death of Gaara!

DISC # 5: Gaara Resuce Effort Goes into Overdrive!
Episode 18: Charge Tactic! Button Hook Entry!!
Episode 19: Traps Activate! Team Guy’s Enemy
Episode 20: Hiruko vs. Two Kunoichi!
Episode 21: Sasori's Real Face

DISC # 6: Sakura vs. Sasori of the Red Sand!
Episode 22: Chiyo's Secret Skills
Episode 23: Father and Mother
Episode 24: The Third Kazekage
Episode 25: Three Minutes Between Life and Death
Episode 26: Puppet Fight: 10 vs. 100!

Special Features:
- Voice Actor Featurette: Sand vs. Leaf
- Shippuden Quiz Show
- Interactive Character Relations Chart: Team Guy
- Production Art