In my time at deviantART, several people have questioned me or other DeiSaku fans about the reasoning behind the pairing. I’ve seen several manifestos and essays defending and explaining pairings, so I decided it was about time that I wrote one for DeiSaku. If you don’t like DeiSaku, you don’t have to read this, but I highly recommend it. I have absolutely no intentions of making anyone like DeiSaku, but I want people to develop an understanding and acceptance of the pairing and its fans.

This essay is not only defending DeiSaku, but it is defending noncanon pairings in general.

Contents:
I. DeiSaku is Noncanon
II. Canon VS Noncanon
III. The Connections Between Deidara and Sakura
IV. Their Personalities
V. Other Reasons
VI. Countering Common Arguments Against DeiSaku
VII. Opinions of Fellow DeiSaku Fans
VIII. Fanworks

I. DeiSaku is Noncanon
First of all, several (but not all) Anti-DeiSaku people complain about the DeiSaku fandom by saying such things as “Deidara barely knows her,” “they’re enemies,” “Sakura loves Sasuke,” “this pairing makes no sense,” etc. However, all DeiSaku fans are fully aware that the pairing is NONCANON, and we treat it as a NONCANON pairing. For those who do not know what noncanon means, it is a term that refers to any concept (whether it be a pairing or event) that does not pertain to the storyline of the manga. If someone told me that DeiSaku was canon, I would laugh my socks off.

Of course, there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with liking a noncanon pairing, as long as you realize and treat it as such. Besides, there are no canon pairings for Deidara, het and yaoi alike. I know that many people like to believe that SasoDei or TobiDei is canon, but they are not, and for several reasons, such as the fact that Naruto is a shonen manga, Kishimoto said that he doesn’t like shounen ai, and the whole Superflat reference. I won’t go into detail on that topic, since this is about DeiSaku. My point is that the noncanon-ness of a pairing should not detract your love of a pairing. If it did, then maybe you weren’t as stong of a fan as you thought you were.

Also, some people classify DeiSaku as a “crack pairing” rather than a “noncanon pairing,” but I beg to differ. Deidara and Sakura do have a form of a connection in the manga (which I will discuss in greater detail later). I define a crack pairing as one with two characters who have no connection at all, and have probably never met or spoken to before. I would label KisaSaku, KabuHina, KidoShino (strangely, I have seen this one around dA), HidaTema (I’m a fan of this one as well ), etc. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with liking a crack pairing either.

II. Canon VS Noncanon
Okay, I am also a fan of canon pairings (such as ShikaTema, ShinoHina, LeeTen, and my OTP NaruSaku), but I think that noncanon pairings are so much more interesting and fun than canon. I have tried reading fanfictions on canon pairings, but even the well-written fanfictions fail to entertain me or capture my attention (with the exception of ShinoHina). We see the interactions between canon pairings all of the time, and their connections are already established in the manga. I like unique storylines, and there aren’t many “unique” fanfictions of canon pairings, quite frankly.

That is different with noncanon pairings, though. Writers have to be creative and original to create a bond between the pair and to make it work. This is not something we would see in the actual manga, and that’s what makes it novel and interesting. I find it fun to be able to experiment new relationships, new plots, new interactions, and new drama, which canon cannot provide.

III. The Connections Between Deidara and Sakura
As we all know, Deidara and Sakura have met in the manga. Of course, they were enemies in that situation, but the events in that particular arc laid down a connection between the two of them.

For starters, Sakura went into the cave knowing that Deidara was the one that defeated Gaara, who was her friend (vicariously through Naruto), Suna ally, and the Kazekage of Sunagakure. Even though the manga didn’t necessarily express her thoughts, it can be inferred that she consciously thought about Deidara (and Sasori too), labeling him as someone who could defeat a Kazekage. You don’t forget someone that powerful, especially in the situation she was in.

On the other hand, Deidara must’ve consciously reviewed Sakura in his mind as well, though not at first. Sakura, a fifteen year old girl, had aided in the defeat of his Akatsuki partner, Sasori. This young girl managed to survive and emerge victorious against such a powerful and notorious criminal. Deidara must’ve labeled her as the one that “defeated Sasori” alongside Chiyo-ba, and though Deidara didn’t have any fondness for Sasori (they hated each others’ guts, and Deidara’s reaction to Sasori’s death went along the lines of “Heh heh, he died. How surprising and ironic. But it was a fitting end to such a shinobi” ), he wouldn’t forget her for her victory.

Again, I’m not trying to prove that “DeiSaku is canon,” because I find the thought of DeiSaku being canon to be quite laughable. The connections that I have described lay out a foundation for DeiSaku fans to build upon, as they enjoy DeiSaku in fandom. It may not be canon, but we were given some form of a “head start” to make the pairing plausible in fanfiction and fanart. They have met each other, they have noted and labeled each other, and they’re not about to forget each other. These connections are also part of the reason why DeiSaku fans love the pairing.

IV. Their Personalities
Personality-wise, Deidara and Sakura have quite a lot in common. They are intelligent, determined, passionate, moody, witty, loud, defensive, extroverted, coy, and love to speak their mind (TS Sakura, not Pre-TS Sakura). Of course, they have their differences as well. Sakura has a rigid code of morals, and Deidara . . . doesn’t. He is artistic, and she is realistic. Sakura tries to word what she says carefully (for the most part), and Deidara isn’t afraid to be blunt. But a relationship between two people that are almost exactly the same would be stagnant and dull, and a relationship between polar opposites would be difficult, unrealistic, and frustrating. I think that Deidara and Sakura’s personalities fit well together, without being too similar or too different.

Deidara would probably be attracted to Sakura’s fighting style as well, deeming it “artistic.” As an artist, he believes that art is fleeting, leaving with a “bang.” He thinks of his explosions and fighting style as art. Sakura’s fighting technique involves destroying anything that comes in contact with her chakra-laden fists: :thumb69726332: He would most definitely be enticed by such a destructive technique.

Another reason why Deidara would probably enjoy Sakura's company is because she just as emotionally explosive and volatile as he is. From his interaction with Naruto, we can see that Deidara likes to see emotion from others, and he is more than happy to rile Naruto up to see him "explode" as well. He goaded Naruto, waiting for something exciting to happen. He even decided to challenge Naruto (even though Sasori told him not to, but Deidara could've been trying to anger Sasori for a similar reason here) saying that "if an artist doesn't get high levels of inspiration, his sentiments are dulled." In his fight against Sasuke, he also tried the same technique again, wanting to see fear and anger from Sasuke. From this, we can conclude that Deidara would find Sakura to be more "entertaining" than others.




V. Other Reasons
A. They’re Enemies
He’s from Akatsuki, and she’s from Konoha. She defeated his Akatsuki partner, and his organization is after Naruto. You know what this means? DRAMA. ANGST. We love it (as long as it isn’t done in a sappy “Romeo and Juliet” way).

B. It’s a Sexy Pairing
Oh yes. We are putting two very beautiful people together. What’s not to love? And for the DeiSaku fans who like smut (not me, so much :/), there’s the whole “hand-mouths” thing. . .

C. Fan of Deidara and Sakura
I do realize that many (not all) of the Anti-DeiSaku people are also Anti-Sakura as well, so I understand that reason for not liking DeiSaku. DeiSaku fans, on the other hand, love both characters, and we like to pair them together in fanfiction and fanart because these two characters don’t interact enough in canon.

D. It's Addictive
Trust me on this one. If you read one, you want to read more. Read "Somewhere I Have Never Travelled, Gladly Beyond" (link provided later), and you will be addicted. DeiSaku is more addictive than black tar heroine, in my opinion.

E. It's Deidara's Most Popular Het Paring
Well, it is. Het fans who don't like OC pairings can easily slide into the DeiSaku fandom if they want a Deidara het pairing.

VI. Countering Common Arguments Against DeiSaku
A. "Deidara and Sakura are enemies, and Sakura is totally in love with Sasuke/Naruto! They would NEVER love each other in canon!"
And DeiSaku fans agree completely with that. We love DeiSaku as a NONCANON pairing, not as a CANON pairing. I'm sure that I wouldn't like DeiSaku as a canon pairing at all. This is a "what if" kind of pairing, in which the fans, artists, and authors can experiment with a pairing that is unusual, intriguing, and challenging. Besides, there are NO canon pairings for Deidara.

And yes, while Deidara and Sakura are enemies, I do have to point out that the manga Naruto is rather notorious for its alliance shifts (Gato ordering his men to kill Zabuza, Kabuto, the Sand Sibs going from enemies to allies saving their lives, Sai shifted his alliance and goals three times in one arc, Sasuke betrayed Orochimaru and killed him, Deidara was planning on killing his ally Itachi, and the Akatsuki and Sasuke broke loyalties to their villages to become missing-nin). It wouldn't happen in canon, but this is fanfiction and fanart, and the manga has definitely made it possible for other characters.

B. "Deidara is obviously gay with other Akatsuki members!"
No, he isn't. Kishimoto said so himself that he doesn't like yaoi and shonen-ai, and if he were to make Deidara or any other character gay, it would have to be for a reason that is pertinent and pivotal to the plot or for that character's development. It clearly isn't for Deidara. Deidara also has one of the MOST masculine personalities, anyway. The Superflat reference also denounces the possibility of Deidara being gay as well.

C. "But Sakura killed Sasori, Deidara's Akatsuki comrade!"
C'mon, Sasori fans, you know better than that! Sure, Sakura assisted in bringing Sasori down, but it wasn't Sakura who delivered the final blow. Chiyo made the final, lethal attack. However, Chiyo later remarks that Sasori saw the last attack, and left that opening. In other words, Sasori let Chiyo take that attack. Chiyo even remarks "The one who should've been defeated was me."

You can fully blame Sakura for saving Chiyo's life (which made Sasori's downfall possible) and for destroying Sasori's two favorite puppets.

D. "There's an 8-10 age difference between them, or something like that!"
Wrong. Deidara is very likely to be somewhere between 15-16 (his height is confirmed to be the same as Naruto and shorter than Sasuke), which makes that age difference almost nonexistent (Sakura is now 16 in the manga, anyway). In Deidara's backstory, though, Deidara looked very young, and he looked younger and shorter than Itachi (who was 20 in Part II and short to begin with). That made me believe that Deidara is younger than Itachi. Not only that, but Hidan referred to Deidara as an "amateur" and called him "Deidara-chan," which leads me to believe that he is probably the youngest member of the group. Also, Kishimoto began drawing Deidara with a very rounded face (he later changed the way he drew Deidara slightly), which is a youthful trait. Plus, the cover for volume 41 shows Deidara as the shortest of the Akatsuki.

Besides, there's an even BIGGER age difference in Deidara's other most popular pairings: SasoDei, TobiDei, and HiDei (ItaDei doesn't have a big age difference, though). Sasori left his village 20 years ago, which puts him somewhere between 30-40 years old. That's a possible 14-25 years age difference. The age difference for TobiDei is astounding, since Madara was alive roughly 60-100 years ago. Hidan is immortal, so he could be incredibly old, whereas Deidara is still pretty much a kid.

E. "How Could You Say That They Are 'Meant To Be'?"
I know I've stressed this enough, but this particularly upsets me. DEISAKU FANS IN NO WAY SUPPORT THE PAIRING AS A CANON PAIRING. We enjoy it in fanfiction and fanart. Enough of the "ridiculous/stupid/blind" comments to DeiSaku fans, because we DON'T believe in it as a canon pairing.

VII. Opinions of Fellow DeiSaku Fans
He may have a boyish, pretty face but his actions and personality arent effeminate in any way. Nor is he "the weak one". He single-handedly took out a Kage, people! Does that sound weak to you? I hate how he gets turned into a teddy bear. He is cocky, and reckless, and quite the little jackass. Not someone you bring home to mother. Sakura seems to have a thing for bad boys, if her childish obsession for Sasuke was any clue, and youre right Deidara would be fascinated by her technique and her fiesty spirit as well. Sakura would appreciate attention from a man who admires her, and doesnt ingore or overlook her. Then there is their brief meeting and the lasting impact they would certainly have had on eachother. Add all those up and stick them in a situation where they would have to endure eachothers company for any period of time and you can bet there will be something starting up between them. - *cynchick

VIII. Fanworks
For those who like DeiSaku (or those who are now intrigued by the pairing), I am featuring some fantastic DeiSaku fanart (including some of my own DeiSaku pieces) :




Also, here are some fantastically awesome DeiSaku fanfictions:
Somewhere I Have Never Travelled, Gladly Beyond
Vessel
Diplomacy (sequel to Vessel)
Found
Thank You
Apolaustic
A Little Game
Heartfelt
Upside Down The ONLY AU I have ever liked
Silver Lining
Hearts of Clay
Suds
Tourniquet
Gunpowder
Clay Penance
Meaningless Kisses
Grandeur
Abendrot
Vertigo
Picassoid Forms

Here are a couple DeiSaku fanclubs too:

I do realize that several of my watchers (and other deviants that chance upon this journal) are Anti-DeiSaku, and I’m totally fine with that. I really appreciate that you guys spent the time to read this manifesto, though, because it shows how open-minded you are and your willingness to understand and accept a pairing that you may not like. To show my sincere appreciation for that, here is a link to the Anti-DeiSaku club:

If you are a DeiSaku fan, use this journal as means of expression what you like about the pairing. If you are Anti-DeiSaku, please do not flame me, other fans, or the pairing. Instead of expressing your hate of the pairing, say something like "I disagree with you, but it was interesting to see your point of view."

THE DEISAKU CHALLENGE
Okay, I will make a deal with everyone that reads Somewhere I Have Never Travelled, Gladly Beyond (link provided above). ANYONE WHO IS HONESTLY DISPLEASED WITH THIS FANFICTION AFTER READING 7 CHAPTERS (though, we'd prefer it if you would read all 13) WILL EARN A FREE SKETCH FROM BOTH ME AND . However, your reason has to be relating to the plot, the writing, the dialogue, etc. and not "I don't like Sakura and/or Deidara" or "I still don't like the pairing." You must give me a sufficient reason.

When reading Somewhere, please keep these things in mind:
1. Try to put any biases towards Sakura and/or Deidara aside. Just because you find a character to be "unloveable" doesn't mean that the character is "unlovable." A reason such as "I can't see how Deidara would fall for Sakura (or the vice versa), so this story is unrealistic" isn't sufficient.

2. Remember, there are no canon pairings for Deidara, so push away thoughts of "I just can't see Deidara falling in love with anyone other than Sasori/Tobi/Itachi/etc," because Deidara isn't in love with anything other than art in canon.

3. The point of the challenge isn't to cause 180 degree turnarounds, but to foster an acceptance of noncanon pairings in general, particularly DeiSaku. There is still quite a bit of hate directed towards DeiSaku and its fans.

4. Several of my friends who have taken the challenge greatly enjoyed Somewhere while still not liking DeiSaku. ~BloodyFeather said that she only likes DeiSaku in this fanfiction, and dislikes it in every other case. Also, some SasoDei fans who took the challenge told me that it was a "nice change" to read about a Het!Deidara. You get the free requests if you are displeased with Somewhere, not the pairing itself.