A significant challenge in improving metal-based wire-arc directed energy deposition (WDED) for additive manufacturing is the lack of knowledge about microstructure evolution and its correlation with layer-wise plastic response and bulk tensile behavior. For the first time, this paper establishes the role of crystalline orientation, dislocation densities, and layer-by-layer strength on the anisotropy of bulk uniaxial tensile deformation in commercially pure titanium (cp-Ti) processed by WDED. An integrated approach that combines microscopy, spectroscopy, millimeter-scale indentation and centimeter-scale uniaxial tensile techniques is adopted. The variation in thermal cycles during WDED results in a higher grain orientation spread greater than 5o in the longitudinal direction (LD) parallel to arc motion compared to about 4o along the normal direction (ND) of additive buildup. Similarly, the statistically stored dislocation density in LD, 1.8 x 1016 m-2, is double that in ND, 0.9 x 1016 m-2. These factors result in a greater strain localization in the LD than in ND. The higher strain localization results in plastic anisotropy manifested as material buildup and ductility, which are 40 μm and 33% higher in ND than in LD. On the other hand, the monolithic macrostructure and absence of weak points at layer interfaces of the cp-Ti component led to comparable yield and ultimate tensile strengths across the individual layers and the bulk component at 311 – 328 MPa and 369 – 385 MPa, respectively. These properties are about 90% of those in conventionally cast commercially cast titanium. Thus, the comprehensive understanding of titanium's nuanced isotropic strength and anisotropic ductility constitutes a major step in advancing WDED as a large-scale additive manufacturing technology and establishing a standardized database of mechanical properties.