- ↳ Note: This article is about the Vampire Slayer. For other uses, see Buffy.
- “I'm the thing that monsters have nightmares about.”
- ―Buffy Summers[src]
Buffy Anne Summers[17][2] was a Slayer activated in the late 20th century. Born on January 19, 1981,[18][19] she was called to be the Slayer in 1996 at fifteen years old.[6][20] Buffy was originally living in Los Angeles, but, due to an incident involving a gang of vampires at Hemery High School,[21] she moved to Sunnydale with her mother,[17] where she acted as guardian of the Hellmouth for seven years before the town's destruction in mid-2003.[22]
Initially a reluctant hero who constantly wished for nothing more than a normal life,[17] Buffy eventually grew to embrace her destiny.[23] She was unique as a Slayer in many ways;[24] she refused to sacrifice her ordinary life for her supernatural destiny,[25] often operated as part of a team with her friends the Scooby Gang,[26] and had romantic relationships with the notorious vampires Angel[27] and Spike.[28]
Buffy was one of the longest-lived Slayers, having returned from death twice[23][29] and coexisted with the two next Slayers,[30][7] an act that disrupted the magic surrounding the line.[31] During the war with the First Evil, Buffy enacted a plan to activate multiple Potential Slayers worldwide, abolishing the traditional line of Chosen Ones and closing the Hellmouth.[22] She then dedicated to gathering and training the ever-growing number of Slayers with the Slayer Organization, who became persecuted themselves[32] when the supernatural became public knowledge.[33]
After rejecting her prophecized place in the dimension of Twilight,[34] a reward for shifting the balance of power in the world,[35] Buffy prevented it from replacing and destroying the Earth when she brought about the end of magic.[36] She then established herself in San Francisco, where she continued her Slayer duties.[37] Buffy eventually restored magic on Earth,[38] took responsibility for its new rules with the Vampyr book, became the leader of a new Magic Council,[39] and exposed a government conspiracy to criminalize supernatural beings.[40] Ultimately, Buffy was the Slayer who defined the battle of the Reckoning, which allowed Slayers to exist and work towards a better future, changing the course of history up to the 23rd century.[41]
Biography
Los Angeles
Early life
Buffy was born to Hank and Joyce Summers on January 19, 1981,[18][19] in Los Angeles, California.[17]
In childhood, she was close friends with her cousin Celia and enjoyed playing Power Girl with her. When she was eight, she witnessed Celia's death in her hospital bed at the hands of der Kindestod, a demon that killed sick children and was only visible to those who were ill. Buffy was left with a fear of hospitals after the experience.[42]
As Buffy grew up, she idolized the Olympic ice skater Dorothy Hamill and practiced the sport herself.[43] Her father took her for trick-or-treating until she was twelve.[44]
In the fifth grade, Buffy developed a crush on sixth-grader William Fordham; although the two were friends, he never returned her feelings.[45] Buffy started attending Hemery High School in 1995, where she became a popular cheerleader and was elected both Prom Princess and Fiesta Queen.[46][47]
Called as the Slayer
- “I've got a few things the other girls didn't have. For one thing, there's my keen fashion sense…”
- ―Buffy identifies her strengths as a Slayer.[src]
At fifteen years old, Buffy suddenly began dreaming that she was other girls fighting monsters in different historical periods. Although she didn't understand at first, her experiences were soon explained to her when she was approached at school by Merrick, a mysterious man who revealed her destiny as the "Chosen One" and became her first Watcher.[20][6]
Buffy and Merrick initially butted heads due to his intolerance of her teenage-girliness; however, the pair eventually gained a mutual fondness for each other as he trained her for battle against the vampire king Lothos. As her increasingly strange behavior alienated her from her peers and her boyfriend Jeffrey Kramer, Buffy befriended fellow outcast Pike.[21] He began supporting her in her slaying duties after Merrick sacrificed himself to protect her from Lothos.[48] Buffy managed to defeat Lothos and his minions at a school dance, but she burnt down her high school's gym in the process, for which she was subsequently expelled. After her expulsion, Buffy and Pike took an impromptu trip to Las Vegas to hunt vampires.[21]
Soon later, Buffy told her parents what had happened at Hemery High and about her destiny as the Slayer. They refused to believe her, thinking instead she was losing her mind, and committed her to an insane asylum. Buffy realized it was better not to perpetuate her story, and she was released after a few short weeks. Buffy and her parents never spoke of it again.[49]
Sunnydale High
Sophomore
- “It's my first day! I was afraid that I was gonna be behind in all my classes, that I wouldn't make any friends, that I would have last month's hair. I didn't think there'd be vampires on campus.”
- ―Buffy is unable to escape her destiny as the Slayer.[src]
Buffy's parents, who had been experiencing marital troubles for a time, finally divorced,[14] and Buffy moved with her mother to 1630 Revello Drive in Sunnydale, a small town in California. Little did they know it was located on a Hellmouth, and Buffy's presence there was predestined. Buffy enrolled at Sunnydale High School, where she became friends with Xander and Willow and met her new Watcher, the school librarian Giles. She also met Cordelia, a popular classmate who antagonized Buffy's strangeness, and Angel, a mysterious stranger who aided Buffy with cryptic advice.[17]
Buffy at first attempted to reject her Slayer duties in favor of a normal life, but she was forced into action to stop the deaths from the ritual known as the Harvest performed by the Order of Aurelius, a vampire cult under the rule of the ancient and powerful vampire Master, who was trapped underground in Sunnydale.[17] Buffy, Xander, Willow, and Giles formed the Scooby Gang, and together they continued to investigate the various supernatural mysteries that occurred on the Hellmouth.[26] Wishing to have a social life separate from her Slayer duties, Buffy tried out for the cheerleading squad[46] and briefly dated fellow student Owen Thurman,[25] but her attempts at normalcy were quickly thwarted by supernatural activity.[46][25]
Buffy developed an attraction to Angel, only to discover he was a vampire. Though initially reluctant to slay him, she decided to do so when it appeared that Angel had attacked her mother. Buffy relented upon discovering he had a soul from being cursed with the Ritual of Restoration by the Kalderash people as punishment for his vicious crimes. Additionally, she found out that Angel had been set up by the vampire Darla of the Order of Aurelius, his sire and Joyce's actual attacker. Angel staked Darla in her ensuing confrontation with Buffy, and the two agreed they could never be together.[27]
When people's nightmares began coming true in Sunnydale, Buffy's guilt over her parents' divorce manifested, and she was briefly transformed into a Slaypire.[14] Days later, a string of odd occurrences started, signaling the oncoming apocalypse, so Giles warned Buffy she would eventually be forced to fight the Master as the Hellmouth opened.[23]
Upon learning that the infallible Pergamum Codex prophesied her death at the hands of the Master, Buffy declared she quit being the Slayer and contemplated leaving town. However, she accepted her fate after Willow discovered the bodies of their classmates slaughtered inside the school. Armed with a crossbow and wearing her prom dress, Buffy descended into the Master's lair to confront the vampire. He overpowered Buffy and bit her neck, declaring it was her who would set him free as her Slayer blood gave him the power to cross his mystical prison. The Master left Buffy to drown in a pool of water, but Xander found her and revived her by performing CPR. Awakening, Buffy felt stronger and confronted the Master once more, managing to defeat him and close the Hellmouth.[23]
First love
- “I love you. I don't know if I trust you.”
- ―Buffy to Angel.[src]
Buffy spent the following summer with her father in Los Angeles. During her time there, she didn't slay any vampires but remained emotionally distant following her fatal encounter with the Master. Upon her return to Sunnydale in the fall, Buffy's friends noticed her condition when she behaved rudely to them and took out her anger on her slaying targets. Buffy finally recovered when, after preventing the Master's remaining followers from resurrecting him, she smashed his bones with a sledgehammer.[50]
In her junior year of high school, Buffy came into conflict with Spike, a vampire renowned for having killed two Slayers in the past. Spike had come to Sunnydale to restore the strength of Drusilla, his paramour and a dangerous vampire. While they were Angel's former associates and were intent on wreaking havoc in town, Spike in particular wanted to make Buffy his third Slayer to kill.[24]
Buffy once again attempted to attain some level of normalcy in her life when she lied to her Watcher so she could attend a frat party alongside Cordelia, due to Giles' strictness and Angel's reluctance to date her. However, Buffy was again forced into action when the fraternity offered both girls as a sacrifice to the demon Machida. After Buffy defeated it, Angel invited her on their first date.[51]
During the school career fair, Buffy's test qualified her for training in law enforcement. Meanwhile, Spike hired assassins from the Order of Taraka to kill her so Buffy wouldn't interrupt a ritual to heal the weakened Drusilla. While hiding in Angel's apartment, Buffy met Kendra,[43] a second Slayer who had been activated when Buffy drowned. While Kendra's complete devotion to her Slayer duties contrasted with Buffy's emotional drive and loyalty to those she loved, the two Slayer eventually became friends. Kendra helped Buffy rescue Angel after he was kidnapped to complete Drusilla's healing. Before returning to Jamaica, Kendra helped Buffy learn to appreciate that being a Slayer was not a job, but who she was.[30]
On the night of her seventeenth birthday, Buffy lost her virginity to Angel after he almost had to leave town.[19] By causing Angel to experience a moment of happiness, she unknowingly lifted the curse placed on him a century earlier, causing him to lose his soul and revert to his evil past.[52]
Angel became obsessed with destroying Buffy's life and joined Spike and Drusilla, who had reassembled the invincible demon Judge to destroy humanity. Buffy managed to defeat the Judge with a rocket launcher, but she was unwilling to kill Angel when the opportunity first presented itself. Angel's harassment continued over the months in the form of letters, threatening to endanger Buffy's friends and family. He revealed their intimate night together to her mother, forcing Buffy to talk to her about it. They eventually came to an understanding when Joyce assured Buffy she would always be there for her, no matter how distant they were. Angel eventually killed Jennifer Calendar, Buffy's teacher and Giles' lover. Giles endangered himself in an attempt to kill Angel in retribution, nearly getting himself killed before Buffy saved him, unable to lose him.[53]
With Angel's subsequent plan to destroy the world, Buffy was willing to kill him, while she relied on Willow to re-ensoul him as a last resort after they discovered the spell to do so in Jenny's office. Buffy accepted Angel's challenge to a duel under the threat of innocents' lives, but it was a trick; he staged an attack against Willow and the others in the meantime, which culminated in the death of Kendra at the hands of Drusilla. Coming to the crime scene, Buffy was a suspect for Kendra's murder and resisted arrest, making her a target to the Sunnydale police force.[54]
Buffy then accepted an alliance with Spike, who had grown tired of Angel's presence and had no desire to see the world end, in exchange for rescuing Giles. After walking home with Spike, she dusted a vampire in front of her mother, forcing Buffy to reveal her identity as the Slayer. Joyce reacted badly to the news, and the two got into a fight, leading to Joyce giving Buffy an ultimatum where she would be thrown out if she left the house to stop Angel's plot. Buffy left and returned to the school library to acquire a blessed sword to fight Angel. Principal Snyder then arrived and expelled her.[54]
Buffy confronted Angel in his mansion and tried to prevent him from opening a vortex to another dimension; meanwhile, Willow cast the spell to re-ensoul Angel. Though the spell was successful, Angel had already opened the vortex. Buffy drove the sword through his chest seconds after his re-ensoulment, sending him through the hell dimension before he could even remember what he had done while soulless. Alone, Buffy then boarded a bus out of Sunnydale.[54]
Return to Sunnydale
- “I don't think I'm gonna be taking any more orders. Not from you, not from them.”
- ―Buffy's "graduation" from the Watchers Council[src]
In Los Angeles, Buffy spent the summer waiting tables in a diner under a false identity — Anne, her middle name — trying to avoid her destiny. However, after fighting demons to rescue a runaway from a hell dimension, Buffy returned to Sunnydale and reunited with her mother.[2]
Buffy had some difficulties reconnecting with her mother and friends; they organized an impersonal welcome-back party and caught her collecting her possessions to run away once more, which culminated in them having a big argument in front of all the guests. They were interrupted by a zombie attack but soon reconciled after fighting together. Buffy was released from the criminal charges against her, and, even though Snyder initially prevented her return to Sunnydale High,[55] the principal was overruled by the school board.[7]
Buffy was required to improve her grades by doing several makeup tests, obtain a recommendation from a member of the school staff who wasn't Giles himself, and receive counseling for a short time. She also started a relationship with her schoolmate, Scott Hope, who broke up with her weeks later because she was too distant. Meanwhile, she discovered Angel had been returned from the hell dimension in a feral state.[56] She secretly rehabilitated him at his mansion, helping him heal while still finding herself drawn to him. The Scoobies discovered her secret and were disappointed with her, though they accepted him back into the team when he saved Willow from being killed by Gwendolyn Post, a corrupt ex-Watcher.[8]
Meanwhile, a rebellious new Slayer, Faith, arrived in town, immediately winning over Buffy's friends and family and providing Buffy with a new ally. Contrary to Kendra, who was the model slayer, Faith was a fun-loving brawler who rejected responsibility more than Buffy did. Buffy discovered that under her facade of enthusiasm for the kill was fear, having escaped from Sunnydale after the vampire Kakistos killed her Watcher and threatened to come after her. After averting the problem by slaying the vampire, Buffy and Faith started a complicated sisterly relationship, learning each other's strengths and weaknesses.[7]
Though Buffy and Angel attempted to be friends and nothing more, they eventually resumed dating, though they took care to keep their relationship celibate.[57]
Shortly before her eighteenth birthday, Buffy was de-powered in preparation for her Tento di Cruciamentum, a Slayer rite of passage organized by the Watchers Council meant to test the Slayer's practical capabilities. This pitted her against the psychotic vampire Zachary Kralik, whom she initially avoided. Buffy eventually found the courage to take him on when he held her mother hostage, and she ended victoriously. Giles' reluctance to see Buffy hurt and subsequent interference in the test led to him being fired as her official Watcher[58] and replaced with Wesley Wyndam-Pryce. Buffy quickly rebelled against Wesley and refused to take him seriously.[59]
Eventually, Faith led Buffy on a rebellious tour of her side of Slaying, which enticed Buffy to some degree. This proved disastrous when Faith accidentally killed Deputy Mayor Allan Finch and refused to recognize the problem and take responsibility for her actions.[59] Buffy tried to make her own up, but Faith refused and tried to frame Buffy for her crime by lying to Giles, though he saw through this. Buffy and Faith's relationship would then change from that point on.[60]
As the Senior Prom was closing in, Buffy expressed excitement about having her perfect high school experience with Angel as her date. However, realizing he could never give her a normal life, Angel broke up with Buffy the day before. Despite her sadness, Buffy made it her duty to ensure she and her friends enjoyed themselves at the dance. She went forth and killed a group of mind-controlled hellhounds released by a dateless nerd, Tucker Wells, before dressing up and attending prom. To her surprise, she was presented with a Class Protector Award, acknowledging the countless times she saved the student body. Angel surprised Buffy by showing up, not to rekindle their relationship but to give her the slow dance she had been longing for.[61]
Faith became increasingly alienated from the Scoobies and found a friend in the affable yet sinister Mayor of Sunnydale, Richard Wilkins,[60] who was preparing to become an Old One on Sunnydale High Graduation Day and devour the student body. As the Mayor relied on Faith to help him prepare for his Ascension, Buffy worked first to thwart his plans, then to organize a resistance. Faith impeded these efforts by poisoning Angel with Killer of the Dead, leaving him on the verge of death. When the Watchers Council refused to help on the grounds that Angel was a vampire, a furious and disgusted Buffy chose to stop following the Council's orders altogether, severing all ties with them. When the Scoobies learned that only the blood of a Slayer could save Angel's life, Buffy attempted to sacrifice Faith to save him, willing to kill a human in this case.[62] Their battle left Faith in a seemingly permanent coma, and Buffy ultimately saved Angel by offering him her own blood.[63]
Buffy then led her classmates in a climactic battle against the Mayor, who had ascended into the Olvikan, and his minions, which culminated in an explosion that destroyed the Mayor as well as the school. After the smoke cleared, Angel left for Los Angeles so that Buffy could try to have a more normal life without him.[63]
U.C. Sunnydale
- “I walk. I talk. I shop. I sneeze. I'm gonna be a fireman when the floods roll back. There's trees in the desert since you moved out, and I don't sleep on a bed of bones.”
- ―Buffy to Sineya[src]
After the explosive events of her high school graduation, Buffy experienced difficulties adjusting to life as a college freshman at the University of California, Sunnydale. She was injured during an encounter with a group of on-campus vampires,[64] appeared unstable to her friends when she suspected her unpleasant roommate Kathy Newman was a demon (which turned out to be true), and began rooming with Willow after the Mok'tagar demon's departure.[65]
Her troubles were only worsened by Angel's recent departure, and she sought comfort with fellow student Parker Abrams and had sex with him only a few weeks after meeting him. He then brushed her off as a one-night stand, despite having made her believe this was the start of a new relationship. Her experience with Parker was made more difficult by Spike, who had returned to Sunnydale after Drusilla left him once again. He uncovered the Gem of Amara — a ring that made any vampire who wore it invulnerable to vampiric weaknesses — and attacked her on campus. Though she managed to defeat him and take the ring back, Spike escaped into the sewers. At Buffy's request, Oz delivered the Gem to Angel in Los Angeles.[66]
During Thanksgiving, Buffy was forced to deal with Hus, the avenging spirit of a Chumash warrior released by Xander's construction crew. Buffy — who had been determined to have a safe and normal holiday meal with her friends — was also shocked when Spike arrived unexpectedly at Giles' apartment, begging for help. Spike had been captured by the mysterious Initiative, a group of army-clad individuals Buffy had previously encountered on campus who implanted Spike with a cerebral microchip that made it impossible for him to harm humans.[67]
Buffy was aided in the battle against Hus by Angel, who had returned to Sunnydale without her knowledge. When Xander accidentally revealed Angel had reappeared, Buffy soon traveled to Los Angeles to confront him, as she was hurt that he had spoken to everyone but her. Buffy and Angel agreed to remain apart; just as she was about to leave, they were attacked by a Mohra demon. They tracked the demon down into the sewers and wounded it before it escaped. The demon's blood had mixed with Angel's during the confrontation, causing him to become human again. Buffy and Angel reveled in finally being able to be together, but Angel soon discovered the Powers That Be had not yet offered him redemption. When Angel was almost killed by the regenerated Mohra demon, Buffy managed to slay it. After Angel discovered that Buffy would die much sooner if he remained human, Angel had the Oracles create a temporal fold to reverse his transformation into a human. Buffy was left with no memory of the incident.[68]
Back in Sunnydale, Buffy and the Scoobies kept Spike tied up in Giles' apartment as he bartered information about the Initiative in exchange for shelter and blood. At school, Buffy eventually attracted the sincere attention of her psychology teacher's assistant, Riley Finn, and began to wonder how she could balance her Slayer duties while dating a seemingly normal boy. However, while fighting the Gentlemen, Buffy discovered that Riley had a secret of his own; he was a member of the Initiative, a government task force led by Buffy's psychology professor, Maggie Walsh, which was created to research mystical and demonic creatures.[69]
Buffy briefly joined forces with the Initiative, but her relentless questioning of the organization's motives, as well as her relationship with Riley, began to unsettle Professor Walsh, who tried to have her killed in action.[70] Walsh was subsequently murdered by a creature of her own creation, the monstrous bio-mechanical demonoid Adam, who then escaped and began his plan to create an army of super-soldiers like him.[13]
Faith then awakened from her coma and used a Draconian Katra left to her by the Mayor to switch bodies with Buffy.[71] In Faith's body, Buffy was taken into custody by the Watchers Council Special Operations Team. She managed to escape and convince Giles of her true identity. Buffy eventually reversed the body swap with the help of Willow and her new witch friend, Tara.[72]
Upon discovering that Faith had traveled to Los Angeles and was attempting to kill Angel, a furious Buffy traveled to L.A. for vengeance, only to discover Faith had become remorseful for her crimes. This put Buffy into direct conflict with Angel, who insisted that Faith could be rehabilitated. Though unable to believe that Faith was capable of redemption, Buffy ultimately had no choice but to work together with her to fight back against the Watchers Council Special Operations Team. Faith eventually surrendered herself to the Los Angeles Police Department, and Buffy got into a heated exchange with Angel that culminated when she used her relationship with Riley to put Angel on the defensive, who then harshly ordered her to go back to Sunnydale after reminding her that he could not move on from their relationship.[73]
Angel subsequently returned to Sunnydale to apologize, and after running into conflict with the Initiative in the process, succeeded in mending things with Buffy, with both of them admitting they had been wrong.[74] Riley, who had been torn between the Scooby Gang and the Initiative for some time, eventually turned his back on the corrupt organization to join Buffy after helping them save Oz from the Initiative complex.[75] Drifting apart since the previous year, the existing tensions between the Scoobies reached their boiling point when Spike, who wanted his chip removed, took advantage of them by attempting to divide the group against one another to carry out Adam's plan.[74] When Spike revealed too much information about the plot during an encounter with Buffy, it caused the Scoobies to reconcile. Using the enjoining spell, they combined their essences within Buffy's body, allowing her to destroy Adam.[76]
The Scoobies, assisted by Riley and Spike, eventually helped save the Initiative's soldiers from the rampaging demon hordes within the complex. The Initiative was officially closed down by the U.S. government, and Riley was honorably discharged from the military.[76] The four were later attacked in their dreams by the first Slayer, Sineya, who was offended by their use of the adjoining spell to defeat Adam. Buffy promptly rejected Sineya's insistence that the Slayer work alone without friends.[77]
Sisterhood and sacrifice
- “I need to know more. About where I come from, about the other Slayers. I mean, maybe… maybe if I learn to control this thing, I could be stronger, I could be better.”
- ―Buffy embraces her role as the Slayer.[src]
Soon after her confrontation with Sineya, Buffy wondered what it meant to be the Slayer, and this encouraged her to begin patrolling nightly. On one of these patrols, she encountered the world-renowned vampire Dracula, who had traveled to Sunnydale with the intention of making the Slayer his bride. At first, Buffy was left powerless by Dracula's thrall, but she managed to overcome his power over her and forced him to leave town. Her battle against the infamous Count combined with her encounter with Sineya made Buffy realize the inherent "darkness" behind the Slayer legend and made her want to learn more about the previous slayers. She began to fully accept her duty as the Slayer for the first time in her life and enlisted Giles to put her through more extensive training to make her a better Slayer.[78]
Meanwhile, a younger sister, Dawn Summers, had mysteriously appeared in the Summers' household; her existence had been integrated into the memories of all those she had ever known.[79] After casting a spell in the hopes of discovering the mystical source of an illness she believed her mother was suffering from, Buffy discovered Dawn was not her sister, but a ball of magical energy known as the Key, capable of opening interdimensional portals. A group of monks caused the Key to take human shape to protect it from a higher being known as Glorificus. They placed the Key in the Slayer's care in the form of a sister, trusting that she would protect it with her life. Though Buffy was initially suspicious of Dawn when she learned she had been fabricated and integrated into her life without her prior knowledge, she quickly came to accept her responsibility as Dawn's protector; she truly loved her sister, regardless of the circumstances of her existence.[80]
Buffy continued to patrol Sunnydale and fight evil with the Scoobies despite the looming threat of Glory. After an encounter with an average vampire left her badly wounded, she became interested in learning about the deaths of past Slayers and poured through old Watchers Diaries with Giles. She eventually sought information from Spike, who had killed two Slayers in his lifetime and proved particularly knowledgeable on the subject. He brought her to the Bronze, where he described his experience as a vampire and encounters with two previous Slayers. Spike shared his belief that each Slayer had a death wish before Buffy shoved him to the ground. When she returned home, Buffy had to confront her mother's worsening condition. Buffy was crying on the back porch when Spike arrived, armed with a shotgun. Instead of shooting her, as he had originally intended, he sat beside Buffy and comforted her.[81]
Buffy's relationship with Riley slowly began to deteriorate as she repeatedly failed to give him the emotional intimacy he craved. Riley began visiting a vampire den where he would allow vampires to bite him; when Buffy discovered this as a result of Spike's interference, she destroyed the den and confronted Riley, after which he left her and returned to the military.[82] Buffy dealt with Riley's departure as best as she could but remained emotionally sensitive.[83] Buffy's pain over two failed relationships caused her to take an interest in Ben, a medical intern. However, after an encounter with April, the love-struck robot girlfriend of Warren Mears, Buffy realized she needed to be single for a while. This proved to be fortunate, as Ben was secretly Glory's human vessel.[84]
The Watchers Council eventually came to Sunnydale with information about Glory but refused to reveal it until Buffy passed a test they had prepared for her. The Council interviewed Buffy's friends and allies to ascertain if she was worthy of the knowledge they had to offer. Though Buffy initially failed to meet their high standards, she gained the confidence to stand up to the Council after Glory threatened to kill her and her friends. Through a rousing speech, she convinced them to give her the information they needed and had Giles reinstated into the Council as her paid Watcher. With the Council's knowledge, Buffy discovered Glory was not a demon, but a deity.[85]
Eventually, Dawn revealed to Buffy that Spike had fallen in love with her, much to Buffy's surprise and disgust. She confronted him on a stakeout and argued that his feelings were impossible since he had no soul. To prove his devotion to her, he kidnapped Buffy and offered to kill Drusilla, his sire and ex-lover. Buffy managed to escape and subsequently alienated Spike from the Scoobies and had Willow recant his invitation into her house — something she had not bothered to do since he first helped her during their fight against Angel.[86]
Shortly after, Buffy and Dawn were devastated by the death of their mother. Joyce had been experiencing health problems for months and had recently received surgery for a brain tumor when she suddenly died from an aneurysm.[87] Buffy was forced to drop out of college to take on her role as Dawn's legal guardian fully, but she faced difficulties due to Dawn's increasingly rebellious behavior.[9]
Meanwhile, Giles decided to take Buffy on a Vision Quest to help her discover what being the Slayer truly meant. Her Guide took Sineya's form and cryptically told Buffy that death was her "gift." Buffy found the message both confusing and hurtful so soon after her mother's passing, and she immediately returned to Sunnydale. Buffy soon discovered Spike had forced Warren to build Buffybot, a robotic sex toy in her likeness, which had resulted in him being captured by Glorificus' minions in the belief that he was the Key. Despite her anger and disgust over the robot's existence, Buffy saved Spike and later discovered he had been subjected to intense torture — and nearly died — at the hands of Glory to protect Dawn's identity as the Key. Moved by his sacrifice, Buffy rewarded Spike with a kiss and reconciled with him, welcoming him back into her circle of friends.[88]
When Glory finally discovered Dawn was the Key, Buffy and the gang fled Sunnydale in a Winnebago piloted by Spike. This attempt was hampered when the Knights of Byzantium, a militia intent on killing the Key to stop Glory, attacked the Scoobies on the road. The Scoobies then held up inside an abandoned gas station and called in Ben to treat Giles, who had been injured in the assault. Ben unwillingly turned into Glory, who kidnapped Dawn, despite Buffy and the others' attempts to protect her.[89]
Believing she had failed, Buffy broke down and retreated into her subconscious, where she battled with the guilt of failing to protect her sister. Via magic, Willow successfully dove into Buffy's mind and helped her overcome her helplessness.[90]
Although she knew Dawn's death would destroy Glory's plan, Buffy refused to allow her sister to be harmed. While retrieving weapons from her house for the upcoming battle, she granted Spike permission to re-enter, and he expressed his gratitude to her for treating him "like a man." They subsequently attacked Glory's stronghold in full force; Willow weakened Glory's mentality, Xander hit her with a wrecking ball, and Buffy beat her repeatedly with Olaf the Trollgod's Enchanted Hammer before she finally reverted to Ben's weaker form. Not wanting to kill an innocent human, Buffy allowed Ben to live, warning him not to go after Dawn again. However, Giles knew Glory would rise again, and he killed Ben with his own hands, ultimately destroying her.[91]
Spike climbed the tower where the ritual was being performed in an attempt to rescue Dawn, but was outmaneuvered and thrown off the tower by Doc, secretly one of Glory's followers. Despite all the Scoobies' best efforts, Dawn's blood had already been used to open the interdimensional portal by the time Buffy reached her atop the tower. Dawn offered to sacrifice herself to stop the ritual, but Buffy, who at that moment understood the meaning behind Sineya's message, instead chose to sacrifice herself. She leaped into the portal, and her blood, which Dawn had been modeled after, effectively closed the rift. Mourning over her death, Buffy's friends stood over her body and wept openly. She was buried on the outskirts of Sunnydale with the epitaph: "She saved the world. A lot."[91]
Resurrection
- “Everything here is… hard, and bright, and violent. Everything I feel, everything I touch… this is hell. Just getting through the next moment, and the one after that… knowing what I've lost…”
- ―Buffy after being pulled out of heaven.[src]
After her death, Buffy was sent to what she would refer to as "heaven," where she found peace.[92] However, her friends feared her spirit had been trapped in a hell dimension due to the mystical circumstances of her death, so they resurrected Buffy months later.[29]
After crawling from her grave, Buffy wandered the streets of Sunnydale before being found[93] and taken back to her house by Dawn. Buffy was comforted by Spike, who had been serving as Dawn's protector and sitter in Buffy's absence. Her transition back to life was difficult; she experienced an overwhelming sense of loss after being — as she described when confessing to Spike — ripped out of heaven and thrust back into a world of pain.[92] She had to resume her duties as the Slayer and deal with the everyday responsibilities of raising Dawn,[94] working,[95] and paying bills.[96] She hid the fact that she had been in heaven from her friends, not wanting them to share in her grief, confiding only in Spike. However, the truth was ultimately revealed when she was under the influence of the demon Sweet.[28] Buffy's depression worsened when Giles left Sunnydale and returned to England, when he felt she had become too dependent on him.[3]
Struggling to feel alive and seeking someone who understood her, Buffy began a violent sexual relationship with Spike, keeping it secret from everyone out of fear of their reaction.[97] Buffy confided in Tara about the relationship after discovering that Spike could hit her, despite his chip still working. She asked Tara to research whether her resurrection had changed who she was — no longer a human, according to the chip. Tara discovered the chip was merely confused due to her mystical resurrection, upsetting Buffy as it made her come to terms that her relationship with Spike was her own doing and not anything outside her control.[98]
To deal with her increasing financial problems, Buffy started working at the fast food restaurant Doublemeat Palace.[99]
Following Buffy's resurrection, Willow developed an addiction to magic and began to use it excessively. Buffy, faced with her own problems, failed to notice even when confronted with evidence by Anya and Xander.[97] A memory purge spell cast by Willow went awry and erased all of the memories of the Scooby Gang; when the spell ended, Tara left Willow.[3] Buffy finally became aware of the full extent of Willow's addiction when she and Amy Madison (having been transformed into a rat for three years,[11] only to finally be changed back) began making regular visits to Rack, a shady sorcery dealer, which only worsened Willow's condition. When Willow made a late night trip to Rack's place with Dawn in tow, the two were attacked by Mandraz, who Willow had unwittingly summoned during her high, and Willow's carelessness caused a car accident that left Dawn severely injured. Buffy and Spike arrived in time to save them, and despite Buffy being furious, she relented when Willow begged her for help. With Buffy's support, Willow renounced using magic altogether and put herself on the road to recovery.[100]
In contrast to the ruthless hell-goddess Buffy faced the year before, her newest "nemeses" consisted of three nerdy former classmates who formed the Trio, with the intent of committing crimes, obtaining women, and eventually taking over Sunnydale. Seeing Buffy as a foil in their plans, they made it their top priority to take the Slayer out, proceeding with several ongoing minor annoyances against her, but she never had any interest in directly stopping them. One of their games led to Buffy accidentally turning invisible. At first, Buffy enjoyed this new power by tricking the mentality of the social worker Doris Kroeger, who questioned Buffy's ability as Dawn's guardian, and by going to Spike for sex without the risk of their affair being discovered. Upon learning her molecule structure would break down if she continued being invisible, Buffy sought to stop the Trio and made herself visible, not wanting to die despite her current grim state of life.[10]
The Trio's schemes finally reached the breaking point when their leader, Warren, accidentally killed his ex-girlfriend Katrina after a mystical date-rape attempt. With Jonathan Levinson's spellcasting and Andrew Wells' demon summoning, he manipulated events to make Buffy think she killed Katrina. Convinced, Buffy was ready to confess to the police, although this was thwarted when Spike dumped the body in an attempt to save her. In a combination of grief and denial about her feelings for Spike, Buffy beat him severely. Eventually, Buffy discovered she wasn't the perpetrator of the crime, and the death was ruled a suicide. Nonetheless, Buffy realized the Trio was becoming too dangerous for her to ignore and resolved to bring them to justice.[98]
Buffy was soon reunited with Riley when he asked her to help him track a demon in Sunnydale. When Buffy discovered Riley was married and brought his wife, Sam, along on the trip, she turned to Spike for comfort. After he learned that Spike was storing demon eggs, Riley arrived at his crypt and found the two sleeping together. When the eggs began to hatch, Buffy helped Riley kill the demons using explosives, destroying Spike's crypt in the process. After Riley departed, Buffy ended her relationship with Spike, admitting to him she was only using him and it was killing her.[101]
Confused and upset, Spike visited the Magic Box in search of a spell to help him get over the breakup. Instead, he got drunk with Anya, who had recently been left at the altar by Xander, and the two had sex. The Scoobies witnessed the incident when they discovered hidden cameras that the Trio had planted in the Bronze, the Magic Box, and Buffy's house. Xander subsequently attempted to kill Spike in a jealous rage, but Buffy intervened, revealing her secret relationship with Spike in the process. Willow, Dawn, and Anya accepted it with relative grace, understanding what Buffy had been going through. However, Xander reacted exactly as Buffy feared, though he eventually understood why Buffy had kept the affair hidden and apologized. Later, Spike confronted Buffy in her bathroom, and in a misguided attempt to force her to admit her love for him, he tried to rape her. She managed to fight him off, and in tears, she dared him to ask again why she could never love him. Frustrated with his inability to be either a man or a monster and disgusted with himself for his actions, Spike fled Sunnydale.[102]
After foiling the Trio's plan yet again, an enraged and embarrassed Warren tried to kill Buffy by shooting at her while she was caught off-guard in her backyard. Buffy quickly pushed Xander out of the way, taking the bullet in the process. Meanwhile, one of Warren's stray bullets struck Tara, accidentally killing her. Willow, enraged and grief-stricken, suffered a relapse and recklessly absorbed a large amount of dark magic. After Willow saved Buffy at the hospital by removing the bullet with telekinesis, she proceeded to hunt down Warren, flaying him alive in front of her friends, who came to stop her.[103]
Despite Warren's actions, Buffy was adamant that Willow had done the wrong thing and worked to protect Andrew and Jonathan, who had no involvement in Tara's murder, in order to prevent further deaths and stop her friend from becoming completely evil. Buffy eventually fought Willow so the remaining Trio members could escape, but she was promptly defeated before Giles came to her rescue.[104]
In the ensuing battle, the Magic Box was destroyed, and Willow tried to kill Andrew and Jonathan with a homing fireball, which Buffy managed to stop. However, this resulted in she and Dawn being trapped underground in the cemetery, where the fireball impacted.[105]
Willow then tried to destroy the whole world to end everyone's pain, which caused several earth golems to spawn and attack Buffy and Dawn. Xander finally got through to Willow in the end, preventing any further destruction. The trauma of Tara's death, Willow nearly destroying the world, and seeing Dawn's proficiency with a sword caused Buffy to realize that life was worth living after all. With that, Buffy promised to stop her self-destructive behavior and be there for Dawn whenever she needed her. With this crisis resolved, Buffy was finally ready to live again.[105]
Leader to the Potentials
- “So I say we change the rule. I say my power… should be our power.”
- ―Buffy chooses to share her power with the Potentials.[src]
When Dawn enrolled in the recently rebuilt Sunnydale High as a freshman, Buffy was offered a job as a guidance counselor by Principal Robin Wood, which she gratefully accepted.[106] Initially, she found it to be an unfulfilling, as she was unable to connect with any of the students who came to her for advice, often for trivial reasons. She soon became concerned when a girl with psychic powers, Cassie, came to her claiming she would soon die. At first, Buffy thought she was suicidal, but after learning it was an upcoming event, she saved Cassie from being sacrificed by a group of demon-worshiping students. Afterward, Buffy witnessed Cassie die from a congenital heart condition.[107]
Meanwhile, Buffy had discovered that Spike was living in the basement of the high school.[106] Though initially taken aback by his madness, she eventually realized he had regained his soul to be worthy of her.[108] Recognizing that he had changed, she brought him out of the basement and helped him recover. It eventually became apparent that he was being controlled by an evil force that caused him to feed on, kill, and sire humans in town. Buffy tied Spike to a chair to prevent him from moving; after he went into a frenzy and attacked Andrew, she chained him to a wall in her basement. When he begged her to kill him, she refused and expressed her belief in him. Later that evening, Spike was kidnapped by a group of Bringers working for the First Evil.[109] Acting on the First's orders, they had been tracking down and killing Potential Slayers in an attempt to abolish the entire Slayer chain. These Potentials were brought to Sunnydale for protection and while training at Buffy home,[110] the house was quickly overrun with teenagers.[111]
Buffy and her friends eventually captured Andrew, who had been under the influence of the First. He led them to the Seal of Danzalthar, situated on the gateway to the Hellmouth. Upon investigating the creature that was released from the seal using Spike's blood, Buffy encountered an ancient and powerful vampire known as a Turok-Han.[110] Buffy eventually stepped up as a leader for the Potentials and killed the Turok-Han, proving her determination and skill. Afterwards, she delved into the First's lair and rescued Spike, who had been tortured by both the First and the Turok-Han.[31]
Buffy later used an emergency kit given to her by Robin, whose mother had been a Slayer, to contact the Shadowmen for assistance. In response, they took her into another dimension and offered to increase her powers using the essence of shadow demon. Buffy refused, unwilling to sacrifice her humanity in exchange for power.[112]
Meanwhile, a reformed Faith, having escaped from prison to help Angel, traveled to Sunnydale to help the Scoobies in their upcoming battle. Upon learning that the First's soldier Caleb had something of hers, Buffy led the Potentials into battle at the Shadow Valley Vineyards in order to retrieve it, which resulted in the loss of several girls as well as Xander's eye.[113] After this, the Scoobies and Potentials, having lost confidence in Buffy's leadership skills and methods for quite some time, became mutinous, appointing a reluctant Faith as their leader and forcing Buffy out of her house.[111] Alone, she spent the night in a house that had been abandoned by its owner.[114]
Spike tracked Buffy to the house and expressed his love and admiration for her. Because of his belief in her, Buffy was able to find the strength to keep fighting.[114] After spending the night in Spike's arms, she found the object Caleb was keeping from her — ancient Slayer scythe called mʔ. After Faith misled the Potentials into a trap, Buffy was able to save them, earning back the gang's loyalty and finally making peace with Faith before revealing her plan to share her power with the other Potentials.[115]
With a surprise visit from Angel,[115] Buffy finally defeated Caleb, using the Scythe to cut him in half, killing him. The First confronted her once more, and Buffy realized her revolutionary idea.[22]
Willow used the Scythe to perform a spell that activated Slayers all around the world. This happened while Buffy led an army of Potentials down to the Hellmouth through the Seal of Danzalthar in the recently abandoned Sunnydale High, where a huge battle ensued between the newly activated Slayers and countless Turok-Han vampires. During the fight, Buffy was struck down with a sword and then taunted by the First while witnessing the deaths of several new Slayers. However, Buffy found the strength within herself to get up again and continue fighting.[22]
When Spike's amulet suddenly activated, Buffy rushed to his side and urged him to accompany her to the surface. He made it clear he needed to finish his job; the two locked fingers and their hands ignited in flames. Buffy confessed that she loved him, though he remained unconvinced, and she escaped the ruins at Spike's insistence.[22]
Following their escape, Buffy and the other survivors looked at the crater that had once been her hometown. When Dawn asked Buffy what they were going to do then, she just smiled.[22]
Slayer Organization
A new world
- “The thing about changing the world… once you do it, the world's all different.”
- ―Buffy reflects on her new role.[src]
Following the destruction of Sunnydale, the Scoobies scattered across the globe to locate and train newly-activated Slayers. Simultaneously, in Los Angeles, Angel and his Angel Investigations team began working at the Los Angeles branch of the demonic law firm Wolfram & Hart. Believing he had been corrupted by the firm, Buffy and her friends lost trust in him; when he contacted them for help containing the psychotic Slayer Dana, Buffy directed Andrew to L.A. to apprehend her, but refused to leave her in Angel's care afterward, and even sent a sizable squad of Slayers to ensure that Andrew accompanied her back out of the city.[116]
Meanwhile, in the midst of mourning Anya's death, Xander had once again fallen under Dracula's thrall. Buffy was left with no choice but to break into the elder vampire's castle and convince him to let his "manservant" go.[117] When he returned, he resumed his place in Buffy's team. Encompassing both mystics and a wide technological army, as well as countless new Slayers, the Scoobies expanded to keep watch on demonic threats on a global scale. Although it counted with voluntary donors, Buffy funded this organization's great expenses by robbing a Swiss bank with the help of several of her fellow Slayers, which she later reasoned had been a victimless crime because of the bank's insurance.[118] Buffy was forced to create decoys of herself to divert enemy attention: one in Rome, supposedly dating the Immortal, and the other underground;[32] not even former allies — namely, Angel — were made aware of her true location.[119]
Buffy, Xander, and Dawn — who had been magically made giant — eventually set up the Slayer Organization command center in Scotland, where Buffy, with the help of Xander as a watcher, trained new Slayers and formed a team of her most trusted fighters, including Satsu, Rowena, and Leah.[32] At some point, she learned that Spike had been resurrected in L.A., and, according to Willow, followed several leads to make sure the information was valid,[120] but could not find the time to get in contact with him afterward.[121]
Buffy eventually encountered signs of an attack from a new enemy known as Twilight. In her investigation, her team came under fire by the United States military, who had the Slayers declared terrorists, justified by Sunnydale's violent destruction and the creation of a powerful army. General Voll, leader of the Drextalcorp Recycling Technologies secret operation investigating the town's destruction, informed Buffy she was at war with the human race, and that many others like him were part of the anti-Slayer Twilight Group.[122]
Though she had managed to organize a highly effective institution, Buffy failed to experience the feelings of connection that the other Slayers did. In her first encounter with Twilight, Buffy was warned that her decision to activate the Slayers had been a mistake, and she began to question her own actions. Accompanied with Satsu, her most trusted fighting companion, she discovered the other Slayer's feelings for her, and, despite flattered, she was mostly worried for Satsu's safety due to her own past relationships, describing that people tended to get hurt.[123] The two ended up sleeping together anyway.[124] While Satsu remained in love with her, Buffy adopted a stance of either avoiding or protecting her, ordering Satsu to lead Tokyo cell after its former leader, Aiko, was assassinated by Toru's sect. She accepted the position, and two had sex one last time, before parting ways indefinitely.[125]
On a mission to New York City, Buffy was transported several centuries into the future. In Haddyn, she discovered that, by the 23rd century, the thousands of Slayers activated had been reduced to one individual once more, a young woman named Melaka Fray.[126] Though Buffy and Fray quickly became accustomed to each other, Fray betrayed her when she learned that if Buffy returned to her own time, her own world would cease to exist. Both Fray and a future version of Dark Willow tried to prevent her from returning home, prompting Buffy to kill future Willow, just as present Willow brought her back to her own time.[127] When Buffy later told her of these events, Willow assured her that the future was not set in stone.[128]
War against humanity
Over time, various factors — including Simone Doffler's rogue Slayers, her ex-classmate Harmony Kendall's pro-vampire reality show Harmony Bites, and the machinations of Twilight — caused the existence of the supernatural to become public knowledge and public opinion towards Slayers to turn hostile.[33] Buffy herself became a public hate figure in the media, at one point being branded the "Worst Person in the World." The Scooby Gang fled to Tibet, where old friend and werewolf Oz taught them to suppress their magical powers to hide from Twilight.[129]
When Twilight found them anyway, the Slayers were forced to fight a human war against the military, with casualties incurred on both sides.[130] Buffy found herself suddenly and inexplicably imbued with new powers, including flight,[131] super speed, and even greater strength than before; she quickly used these abilities to contain the three Wrathful goddesses that had been unleashed during the battle. She also confessed to Xander that she had developed romantic feelings for him, but acknowledged that she was too late as he had already fallen in love with Dawn.[132]
During their second confrontation, Buffy was horrified when Twilight unmasked himself as Angel; he had created the Twilight persona to unite the various anti-Slayer forces and minimize the destruction they would cause. It was revealed that Buffy and Angel were actually prophesied to bring about the apocalyptic event that would destroy Earth and create the sentient Twilight dimension in its place.[133] Buffy and Angel succumbed to their passions and engaged in an act of airborne sex. After that, they found themselves in the new Twilight dimension.[35] With the prospect of eternal happiness with Angel in the new paradise dimension, Buffy quested the reality, especially after observing that her friends were fighting the demons on earth unleashed by the creation of the new dimension. She decided to return to Earth to help her friends in the resulting apocalypse and, with brief hesitation, Angel following suit. Amidst this chaos,[34] Spike returned to inform Buffy about the Seed of Wonder, the source of magic on Earth and the secret to defeating Twilight.[134]
The Scooby Gang traveled to the ruins of Sunnydale, where they were confronted by the Master, resurrected and protecting the Seed. Taking possession of Angel, Twilight killed the Master, battled Buffy, and murdered Giles to prevent him from destroying the Seed; however, a grief-stricken Buffy succeeded where Giles had failed and smashed the Seed, defeating Twilight and putting an end to magic on Earth.[36] Still in a state of despair and hopelessness, Buffy recuperated enough to prevent Xander from murdering Angel, pleading to him that she couldn't handle losing anyone else close to her but most of all, she could not lose Xander by betraying his very being if he went through with this.[135]
With magic cut off from Earth, the Slayer organization disbanded and Buffy returned to relative civilian life. The government continued to monitor the remaining Slayers, although most of them no longer identified as such. Giles left the majority of his assets to Faith in his will; Buffy's only inheritance was Vampyr, the book he presented her with on their first meeting. Faith interpreted this as Giles' belief that Buffy was the one and only Slayer. Four months after the destruction of the Seed, Buffy was a guest in Xander and Dawn's apartment in San Francisco, while working as a waitress at the coffee shop Pick Me Up. Willow told Buffy she had robbed the Earth of its heart by destroying the Seed; however, Spike assured her that nobody else could have acted better under the circumstances. When confronted with three Slayers angry at her for betraying the cause, Buffy asserted herself and focused on her mission, hoping that she had still managed to make some positive change to the world.[37]
World without magic
- “This is what I'm talking about, Buffy. You don't realize how the destruction of the Seed affected everyone. You only think about how it affected you. All the slayers, vampires, even the demons with magic mojo. You all got to keep your power because it's inside of you. But everyone else got cut off from what made them tick. For me, it was magic. Or that demon, his home.”
- ―Willow[src]
After a while, Buffy moved out of Xander and Dawn's apartment in favor of her own place, which she shared with two new roommates, Anaheed and Tumble. During her housewarming party, Buffy experienced a night of wild, unprecedented drinking — unable to recall the events of the previous evening the following day, she made slow attempts to piece together her memories while going about her daily business. Spike, who had also relocated to San Francisco ensuing the destruction of the Seed, continuously warned her about a new evil force stalking her, while Willow tried to make Buffy realize the consequences of shattering the earth's literal "spark of creation."[136]
Later, after Buffy saved a young man who was under attack by a vampire, she was suddenly arrested by the San Francisco Police Department detectives Robert Dowling and Miranda Cheung, who had recently discovered a large number of dead bodies and had theorized they belonged to vampires. Though both detectives decided not to free Buffy until she gave them the answers they desired, Buffy managed to escape custody and became a fugitive from the law as a result.[137]
She then came across the same man she had saved earlier — Severin —, who revealed his ability to drain the energy from mystical beings. Buffy also discovered one of the more pressing consequences of the destruction of the Seed: all vampires sired after Seed's shattering had risen mindless and feral, and were later dubbed "zompires" by Xander. After consulting on the matter with the Scoobies, Buffy accompanied Severin to take out a vampire nest, only to have Severin turn on her when they entered a seaside warehouse filled with dead bodies.[138]
In the ensuing fight, Severin told Buffy that he had to kill all those vampires because Buffy destroyed the Seed and that she didn't deserve her power. Eventually, Severin overpowered Buffy and began to drain her powers, as well as Spike's when he arrived to help her, but just before he could drain the two completely, detective Dowling, having been anonymously tipped off, arrived and made the save by shooting Severin four times in the chest. Having discovered that Severin was the real culprit, Buffy was subsequently cleared of all charges.[139]
Proceeding this, Buffy began to suffer from strange dreams involving Sineya and a mysterious fairy, along with frequent bouts of vomiting and morning sickness. While sharing the dream with Willow, the fairy told her that the first Slayer wanted her to "unlock the key," but this was, in fact, Willow's job. When Buffy awoke, she discovered both Willow and the Scythe missing; she had gone to restore the magic on Earth. Buffy then took a pregnancy test and was shocked to discover it positive.[140]
Despite advice and encouragement from Robin Wood, Buffy came to the decision that she was not ready to be a mother and asked Spike to come with her to get an abortion.[141] However, this planned abortion was interrupted when, while helping Spike tackle a group of zompires, Buffy sustained injuries that revealed that she was actually in a robotic body.[142]
Confronting Andrew, Buffy and Spike learned that she was actually Buffy's mind transferred into Buffybot; based on Warren's notes, Andrew had transferred Buffy's mind into the robot to help her escape a rumored assassination attempt while leaving her body living a civilian life in another part of the country.[16] However, Andrew, Spike, and Buffy went to retrieve Buffy's body, which was captured by Simone.[143] Once the ordeal was over, Spike left San Francisco and Buffy, much to her disappointment and sadness. Buffy then appeared to turn in her resignation to her boss.[144]
Following quitting her job as a waitress, she began to try something newer. Buffy was forced to take orders from fellow slayer Kennedy, under the profession of being a bodyguard in Deepscan. However, she struggled with shutting off her Slayer instincts, much to Kennedy's annoyance who could do so easily. Nevertheless, she received a client named Theo Daniels who revealed he was being hunted by Wolfram & Hart.[145] Acknowledging the seriousness of the situation, Buffy sought out Eldre Koh for his help only to have him betray her trust and his code, reasoning to Buffy that vengeance towards the demon that imprisoned him was much more important than honor.[146]
After her client was kidnapped, Buffy and Kennedy come up with a plan of attack due to the information that Koh would not get what he wanted right away. After some clashes with Kennedy over Giles's death, they sneaked underground and arrived before Eldre Koh could find out the information he was after from them over who imprisoned him. Once Kennedy saved Theo, Buffy faced off against Koh only for him to escape with his life. With TinCan destroyed and her mission complete, Buffy originally believed she'd get punished but instead received praise and promotion, given a check for her efforts. Despite the prospect of money, Buffy declined the offer, coming to an epiphany that she had to do this by herself.[147]
Soon afterward, Buffy became acquainted with Billy Lane, a 16-year-old boy who decided to become a "slayer" and aid others in the zompire epidemic. Realizing the growing problem of zompires and other challenges created since the end of magic, she easily accepted him with open arms, proposing to train him.[148] She quickly created a routine with Dowling and Billy, regularly patrolling with them to slay the zompires. However, during one of those patrols, she got easily beaten by a zompire.[149]
Having moved back in with Dawn and Xander, Buffy realized that she had recognized this strong vampire that had bested her but could not remember where she had seen her before. Buffy hanged out with Dowling and Billy as well as Xander and Dawn, seeming to be somewhat happy that she had finally managed some semblance of an average night. However, she was ripped away from it just as quickly and teleported to the Magic Council, courtesy of the Old One Illyria.[149] She abruptly forced her to join this Council, much to Buffy's confusion and indignation.[150]
The Magic Council informed her that they had to protect the remaining magic on this dimension and that Severin was threatening that. Buffy agreed to help them, reasoning that she had no problem taking out demons and knew that Severin was gathering all of this energy for a reason. Buffy fell into an uneasy alliance with Eldre Koh and Illyria, arriving at Severin's new lair. After a failed attempt to attack three sides, Severin suddenly showed before him: completely a full power.[150] Buffy and the others immediately attack Severin, only to be blown away by his immense strength. Eventually, Illyria teleported her group out of the building, where Buffy told the Council that Severin's plan was to lure Illyria out to drain her power, hoping to use her time-travel abilities to save the girl he had killed. As the Council argued over this, Severin suddenly burst in and started to drain Illyria's powers.[151] With the new reality of Severin taking her time-travel powers, Buffy came to the conclusion she needed the other Scoobies to help her with this one.[152]
Buffy returned home, only to discover that Xander and Dawn were at the hospital. Arriving there, Illyria noted that mystical energy was leaving Dawn's body, continuing on to explain that mystical energy was used to hold the body together and without it, she would die. Xander later admitted he blamed Buffy for this, and she explained that she had to destroy the Seed, but then he blamed her for sleeping with Angel and creating all of this. Xander didn't listen, but Buffy insisted that Dawn was still her sister and she would do anything she could to help her.[152] Willow then reappeared in San Francisco, and, for much of her relief, Buffy realized that the witch had managed to regain her magic.[135]
In an effort to save Dawn's life, Buffy formed a plan. With Willow's magic temporarily holding off Dawn's death for a few more days at the most, and Xander's information over what Severin and Simone were planning to do with the Vampyr book, she deduced that their solution to all of this was traveling to the Deeper Well in England. Since that place was magical and powered with many powerful sealed Old Ones, they could use that magic to load Willow up as a "battery," hopefully ensuring her sister's life to be restored. After sharing some heartfelt words of comfort to Dawn, she borrowed Kennedy's jet and flew to England. Arriving at the Deeper Well, Buffy and her friends stand up to the Council, who was there to protect the entrance.[153]
Buffy fought against hordes of demons that stood in her way to save Dawn's life with Willow and her magic to help her, while Illyria and Koh arrived to help. Buffy and the others finalized a plan that could potentially get them all killed, only for a guilty and worried Xander to confess to them that he had been feeding Simone and Severin information of Buffy's motives, in exchange for going back to reverse Twilight. Buffy was hurt at his complete lack of trust in her. Informed that Simone and Severin had managed to enter the Deeper Well, Illyria identified that their plan of preventing Twilight would create a reality tear in the universe. Buffy realized that, rather than just Dawn, she had to save the entire world once again.[154]
While the Council pleaded for Buffy to help to save the world, she was more focused on saving Dawn, so she and Willow ventured into the Deeper Well. After showing early signs of forgetting about her sister, Willow began to grow red with magic as they got closer to a powerful source of magic. Willow tried to send Buffy to help Illyria, Koh, and the Council to help them defeat the Old One Maloker. Buffy refused, wanting her to help save her Dawn instead, but Willow was firm, saying she needed to trust her. Reluctantly, Buffy agreed. She eventually ran into Xander, who was standing at the dead body of Simone near Maloker's coffin. Xander warned her that Simone's plan was to create an army of slayer/zompire hybrids. Buffy seemed to figure something out and lifted her Scythe to decapitate the dead Slayer. At that moment, Simone awakened as a fully intelligent vampire and attacked them.[155]
Buffy proceeded to battle against Simone, who expressed her intense hatred of her since she was the one who turned her into a Slayer when she never wanted to be one. Buffy ignored it, realizing how much stronger Simone was after she became a slayer-vampire.[156] However, a burst of magical energy incinerated Maloker, but Willow was able to save Buffy, Xander, and the surviving members of the Council. As they made their escape, Simone attacked them and dragged Buffy off, determined to kill her once and for all. In the ensuing skirmish, Simone nearly beheaded Buffy, but only succeeded in cutting off most of her hair. Gaining the upper hand, Buffy told Simone that she regretted ever making her a Slayer before staking her with the Scythe and making her way out of the Well.[38]
Upon her escape, Buffy discovered from Willow that a new Seed of Wonder had formed and restored Earth's magic, but both Severin and Illyria sacrificed themselves in the process of doing so. Assuring that they would not let their deaths be in vain, the group returned to San Francisco to save Dawn. Succeeding the ritual to restore Dawn, Buffy proceeded to thank Spike for watching over her sister, and forgave Xander for his alliance with Simone. When she and Willow decided to check the Vampyr book, they were shocked to discover that its pages were completely blank, leaving Buffy to wonder exactly what they did in the Deeper Well.[38]
New rules of magic
- “The only worse option than me being in charge of the book is everyone else who wants it. No… I'm done running away from the hard choices. But I can't even manage my own life. How am I supposed to write the freaking rules of magic?”
- ―Buffy[src]
Buffy and the others went to Santa Rosita to deal with the last zompires, and was assisted by Vicki and a group of new vampires, discovering the consequence from the return of magic. As soon as the zompires were extinguished, the vampires turned against the Slayer. The Scooby Gang then counted on the sudden assistance of Deepscan, with Kennedy, Faith, Leah, Holly, and Giles, who revealed himself resurrected in an emotional reunion.[157]
Returning to San Francisco, the Scoobies discovered the new magic of this world was still undefined, with Buffy's allies learning that they could write new rules for magic in the Vampyr book, such as preventing the vampires from using their new powers in daylight, or Clem making unicorns real for Harmony.[158]
She and her friends were able to move to a haunted building in Tenderloin, with discount on their rent after exorcising the place.[159] Buffy shared the apartment with Willow and Dawn, while neighbors to Xander and Spike's, as well as Giles' apartment. Both in a better place than their previous encounters, Buffy and Spike began a relationship.[160]
Her father attempted to reconnect with Buffy and Dawn through monthly reunions. Announcing he was about to marry again, he communicated his decision to exclude Buffy from their wedding ceremony "for safety reasons," based on her public reputation as a Slayer. When Buffy returned distraught from this reunion, Giles defended her, declaring she was an exceptional woman more than capable of forging her own path, and she didn't need Hank, himself, or anyone else; so they shared an emotional hug.[161]
Buffy became a supernatural consultant to SFPD, working alongside Spike and Dowling. She assisted in Jean Anthony' case, who was attacked by an incubus. This made Buffy revisit Spike' attempt rape, as well as many difficulties through her life, and the couple finally talked and came to terms about their turbulent past.[162]
The world then was being taken by interdimensional demons, allowed to enter the Earth dimension with the use of the Restless Door, in power of the demon lords the Mistress, the Soul Glutton, and the Sculptor. Through a visit from Satsu, the American army contacted Buffy to use her in a necessary partnership between humans, vampires, and new vampires. For this, she participated in the VampCon event, which included Harmony and Vicki, and won a battle against their strongest vampire.[163] However, when Willow revealed to be working for the government in secret, their friendship was shaken. The two quickly realized their unity was strongest than their divergent opinions.[164]
Buffy finally met the new Magic Council formation. Insecure about her responsibility over the magic rules of the world, she counted with the group to oversee her choices, and gave them new abilities to assist her.[165]
The Slayer was faced again with a critical crisis to save the world when D'Hoffryn then suddenly killed the rest of the Council and took all their power for himself.[166] He affirmed the Scooby Gang had taken Anya away from him, and he wanted his vengeance.[167]
During to an ambush by the demon lords, Dawn volunteered herself to use her Key powers and be left behind, arguing Buffy always sacrificed herself for her and she always wished to be that brave, and that was her chance. Despite Spike's protests, Buffy agreed with her sister, explaining she was an adult and that was her decision, and she was proud of her for that. Buffy also considered the fact that she had to resume her responsibilities and focus on saving the world.[168]
This choice, though, wasn't easy, as Buffy ended up taking her anger and frustration on her friends, in special on her boyfriend Spike.[166] Saddened he wanted to help but only making her angry, Spike suggested them to break up. He pointed out his inability to give her a normal life despite his want, and it'd be easier for them to call things off before it hurts worse later. Buffy immediately stopped crying and disagreed with him, and asked him to follow her in her mission and hit the road. She met with various demons and vampires she had allied himself before and counted with their help to take D'Hoffryn new powers away. With the time, Buffy agreed it would be easier to break up indeed, but it wasn't right; she could've had a normal relationship with Riley, but it didn't erase other challenges, as nothing would ever be perfect. Buffy declared that they together were something she didn't want to lose without a fight, and she wanted to give it a try.[169]
After Buffy and the Scooby Gang had their morals back, and D'Hoffryn had to run away from the fight, Buffy finally used the book in her favor: giving her own sister the possibility to manifest her Key powers in any dimension. With D'Hoffryn defeated, Buffy assembled a new Magic Council, consisting of her allies and potential adversaries to supervise the magic, and herself as the president.[39]
Supernatural Crisis Act
- “But also, this is wrong. And I'm not gonna run, or hide, or avoid it. I'm going to stand up and fight it. And protect those who can't. Which, no matter what little miss stormtrooper out there thinks... is what being a Slayer is all about.”
- ―Buffy[src]
In the following year, Buffy had joined Spike as a supernatural consultant for San Francisco Police Department. She was in a barbecue with the Scoobies when they witnessed Shenlong leading a destructive tsunami against San Francisco; they were able to fight off the dragon then helped rescuing and taking care of its many victims.[170] However, they could not prevent the anti-magic sentiment that grew in the country after the disaster, despite Buffy's efforts to protect those attacked by others' prejudice. With the Supernatural Crisis Act created under President Malloy's administration, Buffy fell in conflict with Jordan, a Slayer working as a licensed contractor for the military, after Buffy refused to be recruited to the role of enforcing the mandatory census of supernatural beings.[171]
Safe that Dawn would not be a target, Buffy went to the black market so Giles, a child since his resurrection, could have certifications enough to be considered human as well. Still, Jordan went after Spike and Willow so they'd be imprisoned in the Safe Zone, for their respective supernatural status as a vampire and a witch. Buffy initially attempted to fight Jordan off for her provocations, but she ended volunteering to go with them, despite Slayers being exempt from reporting.[172]
In the Safe Zone, Buffy shared a trailer with Spike, where she convinced him to feed from her to compensate for the scarce blood ration available. The living conditions made the imprisoned creatures explore the most vulnerable, while the Slayer guards and demon trustees did nothing to stop the violence. Buffy often interceded and became a target for those who wanted vengeance, but giving blood made her dangerously weak to fight. She then went after Jordan to accept her offer in exchange for extra blood rations for Spike, but only as a trustee, to actually keep the place in order.[173] Buffy gained access to assembly and programming areas,[174] but she was unable to approach restrict areas to further investigate the project.[175]
The government then revealed a machine capable of removing the mystical energy from supernatural beings, offered to those who were capable of surviving without magic in exchange for freedom. Willow noticed its storage capacities and suspected it was a test to be eventually applied on the entire country, while Spike told Buffy that she couldn't do anything about it while inside, but she was powerful enough to act without their mystical powers. Additionally, Riley and Sam were called to convince Buffy to accept to go under the process, arguing that Spike would be better with the Safe Zone's lower population. Riley asked Buffy to trust that he was trying to help, so she and Willow accepted the amnesty. Before Buffy left the Safe Zone, Spike said he loved her but interrupted her response, asking her to tell him when they'd see each other again.[176]
With Buffy and Willow home again, Riley and Sam called Faith to come and assist the Scoobies in their secret mission.[177] They organized a break into Safe Zone again, where Buffy and Willow absorbed their powers back and freed all prisoners, Spike included. The Scoobies hid in a motel[178] and investigated the Pandora Project, a conspiracy involving members of the government to absorb all magic in the country to empower themselves.[179] The Scoobies then invaded their laboratory, where Buffy faced Press Secretary Joanna Wise, a magic-infused cyborg, who called upon Shenlong and revealed to be the one responsible for his previous attack.[180]
Willow then performed a spell to concentrate the grown powers of thousands of Slayers back in Buffy,[180] allowing Buffy to survive Wise's attacks empowered by Shenlong's absorbed magic.[40] Buffy kicked the woman into the open mouth of Shenlong, causing it to devour Wise whole. After the battle, Riley and Sam publicly exposed the Pandora Project and all policies regarding the supernatural were reviewed. Buffy returned her borrowed powers as soon as she was healed from the fight, convincing Joanna and her group of Slayers to use their powers to protect and not oppress. The Scoobies then resumed their barbecue, when Buffy told Spike she didn't forget to tell him: she loved him too.[40]
The Reckoning
After a quiet year, Buffy had became aunt to Xander and Dawn's daughter Joyce Harris, and she was again single after a mutual break up with Spike. Angel returned with Illyria reporting that dark forces were merging in San Francisco, while Wolfram & Hart was coordinating an attack against Willow's empowerment center and its Slayers. Buffy and the Scoobies attempted to fight an army of demons in Wolfram & Hart Silicon Valley branch, where Buffy recognized Harth Fray. With the combined powers of Dawn, Willow, and Illyria, Buffy once again time traveled to Fray's future Haddyn to seek answers,[181] where she learned from the 23rd century Harmony her own bleak future: bound to fight demons in a hell dimension for the rest of her brief life. Despite the odds against her and the Scoobies, they vowed to find a way to save the world, returning to her present with the new allies Melaka and Erin.[182]
The battle began and, eventually, out of desperation, Buffy convinced Willow to cast again a spell to give her the collective powers of all active Slayers. Just as they began the spell, however, Harth jumped in, using a staff previously owned by one of the Shadowmen to steal the power for himself.[183] With no other way, Dawn opened a portal to a hell dimension, and Buffy planned to force the demons through as history dictated. However, Illyria jumped in and sacrificed herself to force the demons in. Harth proceeded to overpower the combined might of Buffy and Melaka, until his body began to break down under the strain of his Slayer powers, so Buffy staked him with the Scythe. As he dusted, the Slayer powers flowed back to their previous owners, including Melaka's Slayer memories.[41]
Two weeks after the crisis was averted, Buffy told Spike, "As awful as the Reckoning was, seeing you all fighting so hard... caring so much, willing to give up everything... It filled my heart. And it could happen again, any time. So while we're here, it's so important we're happy... and together. I just don't want anything to get in the way of that." Buffy then joined the Scoobies — Dawn, Joyce, Xander, Willow, Giles, Andrew, Faith, Angel, and Spike — in a barbecue commemorating hers and Faith's graduation from San Francisco Police Academy, as they intended to improve their supernatural division. Around her loved ones, Buffy reflected: "The trouble with changing the world is... worth it." Meanwhile, in the 23rd century, Fray arrived in a new and improved future changed by the Reckoning, welcomed by her sister Slayers.[41]
Personality
- “I love what you are. What you do, how you try. I've seen your kindness and your strength. I've seen the best and the worst of you and I understand with perfect clarity exactly what you are. You're a hell of a woman.”
- ―Spike[src]
Before becoming the Slayer, Buffy's personality was that of a superficial blonde valley girl; she herself claimed that even Cordelia "looked like a classical philosopher next to me."[58] Initially snobby towards people of a lower social class such as Pike,[20] the isolation she experienced from her popular friends at Hemery High gave her new-found empathy towards outcasts like Willow and Xander.[17] Nevertheless, Buffy was something of a rebel who did not conform to traditional Slayer conventions; Rupert Giles once admitted that "some flexibility is required" when it came to being Buffy's Watcher.[30] Buffy also tended to venture out of the Slayer's typically supernatural jurisdiction, often dealing with crazed robots[10][84] and even human criminals.[184][97][10][177] Buffy was unique as a Slayer in that she refused to give up her "normal" life for her destiny and worked with a group of close friends who knew her identity. The spirit of the first Slayer, Sineya, once insisted to Buffy that the Slayer must work alone, a belief which Buffy promptly rejected.[77]
Buffy's individualistic and rebellious tendencies culminated in developing an extreme distaste of being manipulated and "losing control,"[185] particularly when it revolved around her life. This was made most apparent in her initial request to have the monks erase her false memories of Dawn,[80] her forced destiny as the Slayer, her brief loss of her abilities through Giles' betrayal,[58] her rejection of Twilight,[34] anger over Angel's decision to keep his presence hidden while in Sunnydale,[67] as well as deciding to turn himself into a vampire again without her knowledge.[68] Kendra, who had been trained as a Slayer from early childhood, told Buffy that a Slayer did not have the luxury of emotions. Buffy responded that her emotions gave her power and she considered them "total assets."[30] Spike once stated that Buffy's improvisational fighting style was much like that of Nikki Wood, the second Slayer he killed.[81]
Additionally, one of Buffy's most notable qualities was her frequent sarcasm and ironic sense of humor.[25][96] She often cracked jokes and puns about her opponents,[58] especially in the midst of battle.[23][2][64] Buffy apparently took much enjoyment out of taunting them, usually getting disappointed when her enemies didn't respond.[186] Angel had once stated that Buffy always deployed light-hearted humor to cover up how she truly felt or to avoid uncomfortable situations, similar to Xander.[34] Buffy was also stubborn, hard-headed, and a natural leader, making her at times overly demanding and bossy.[3][111] She was extremely determined and fiercely independent by nature, detesting giving up or losing battles of any kind, be it supernatural or personal issues. This would be especially apparent in her humiliation at running away from Glory while trying to protect Dawn.[89]
Buffy had been accused of being violent following her calling as a Slayer. Buffy denied that she was but when questioning Xander of this, he said, "The important thing is, you believe that."[187] Faith had also once harshly mentioned to her that Buffy was "all about control."[73] Buffy once described herself: "I am capable of awesome. I'm usually super reliable and conscientious and according to popular report, a little tightly wound."[136]
During her first years as a Slayer, Buffy functioned as a reluctant hero. While she constantly expressed her desire for nothing more than a normal life during her high school years, Buffy had a strong sense of responsibility to the people she could save.[23][17] As time moved on, Buffy became more accepting of her Slayer duties, particularly after Kendra helped her to understand that being the Slayer was not a job, but part of who she was.[30] After her meetings with the first Slayer and Dracula, Buffy became more interested in her role as the Slayer[78] and dedicated to study it.[188][81]
After her mother's death, Buffy's determination to succeed was becoming more frayed. The constant setbacks and tragedies in her life were causing her to lose faith in herself, not going unnoticed by Giles and Xander.[89] Dawn's capture by Glory shattered her resolve entirely, falling into a catatonic state that she was only able to pull out of because of Willow. Buffy's waning faith even reached the point that she had, just for a moment, wanted Glory to win and Dawn to die so the pressure and responsibility would be over, a thought that intensely disturbed her.[90] Buffy's personality and character developed a much darker and self-destructive persona after being brought back from Heaven. She had hated living and the harshness of everything her life had, even attempting to commit suicide at one point until stopped by Spike,[28] with whom she had sought out a violent sexual relationship, later admitting that she didn't love him and was just using him to feel something.[101] However, after the death of Tara and Willow's subsequent dark magic-fueled rampage, Buffy realized that life was worth living.[105]
While Buffy acknowledged that humans could be just as bad as demons, if not even worse, she largely refused to kill humans, insisting that the Slayer did not have a license to kill, which occasionally put her into conflict with her less-merciful teammates. She held disgust and hatred of collateral damage as she had always tried to save as many people as she could by any means necessary, even if a solution to save the world was killing someone innocent (a striking difference from her ex-boyfriend Angel, who had employed "ends justified the means" tactics in the past). For example, she spared Ben's life after Glory was defeated despite full knowledge that Glory would eventually resurface and come after her again, which resulted in Giles doing so instead; she flat-out refused to even consider killing Dawn to stop Glory's plans,[91] however, she eventually told Giles two years later that, with what she knew then, she would allow her to die. Additionally, she refused to kill Warren Mears despite his vicious crimes, including Tara's murder, preferring to let him face human justice, whereas Xander and Dawn were so disgusted and furious with him that they openly supported Willow's intent to kill — until after she actually did it and then targeted Andrew and Jonathan, who had nothing to do with Tara's death.[103] However, throughout her focus of the Slayer mission, she stated that she would be able to kill a human to save the world;[189] indeed, Buffy had made exceptions to her rule of not killing humans: she was apparently willing to kill Faith to save Angel's life,[62] killed several members of the Knights of Byzantium to protect Dawn,[89] and bisected Caleb with the Scythe.[22] Nonetheless, she made it a rule in the Slayer Organization to "go for the wound" with their human enemies.[122]
Additionally, Buffy fully understood that not all demons were evil and was in fact good friends with several demons, such as Clem,[190] and held a code of honor even with longtime enemies, refusing to kill Spike when the chip rendered him helpless despite their long history of animosity before and after that point,[191] while also being disgusted with Riley when he expressed prejudice against Willow for dating Oz, a werewolf.[75] Despite this, Buffy was willing and able to kill demons when they committed bad deeds and stated that, as the Slayer, she was the law and her judgment on demons was absolute.[192] However, Buffy did not consider nor act as if Slayers were the law or above it in human matters.[60]
Though she was normally quite aware socially, Buffy had proven to have a few lapses in judgment that cost her and others as well. Her destructive relationship with Spike, for example, was attributed to her own feelings of vulnerability, self-loathing, and unworthiness after the death of her mother as well as her abrupt descent from heaven.[98] Despite her powerful sense of responsibility, when in a state of depression or ill humor, she had been shown to procrastinate and put off or otherwise ignore things she should be dealing with. This was most prominently seen in her exile out of heaven, ignoring her role as guardian of Dawn and forcing Giles to both take care of her[94] and pay the bills she couldn't afford.[95] Another example was when she had smashed the Seed of Wonder and remained indifferent over Willow's pleas of returning magic, hardly thinking of the consequences of the action because she did what she had to do; in this case, she was finally forced to face the negative consequences of the Seed's destruction when she discovered that without magic, Dawn was fading away.[152]
Buffy was also seen to have an "inferiority and superiority" complex,[193] as she felt like she was worse than everyone or that there was something wrong with her, and that even though her friends and former boyfriends think the opposite, their opinions didn't mean anything. She could also be surprisingly negative and give in to fits of pessimistic tendencies, suffering from occasional abandonment issues[123] since almost all her friends and boyfriends had left her at some point. She suffered from constant loneliness, especially since she felt the burden of being the Slayer was something no one could understand or share with her.[115] Buffy had once admitted that she cut people out, of both her problems and personal feelings for years, coming to the conclusion that she was closed off from everyone else.[194] Fearing her attachment to reality was disconnecting, Buffy wondered if being the Slayer would eventually overcome her so much, she'd be too hardened to be able to love anymore.[88] However, Buffy's increasingly closed off demeanor over the years was a combination of the harsh lifestyle of a slayer and her chronic habit to be strong for everyone else despite her own problems.[195][196]
When her intelligence or abilities have been put into question, as when she was under investigation by the Watchers Council, Buffy responded poorly to authority and was mostly unable to complete any of the tasks given. She would almost appear as the "dumb blonde" stereotype, but in her confrontation with the Council, when things were on her terms, Buffy appeared to have a relatively advanced sense of awareness that wasn't accessed through many traditional methods.[85] However, Willow did admit Buffy was "not very bright."[22]
One of Buffy's most defining personality traits was her tendency to keep things secret from the rest of the Scooby Gang, which came back to haunt her more than once. Such secrets included Angel's resurrection,[8] Dawn's identity as the Key,[197] her relationship with Spike,[198] and her sighting of Spike in the basement of the new Sunnydale High.[108]
Buffy had a tendency to mangle the names of vampires, demon species, and mystical terminology, much to Giles' constant irritation. For example, "astral body" became "asteroid body";[14] "Tirer la Couverture" became "Rolling Food Stuff";[80] Bezoar" became "Bozo";[199] "Morgala" became "Morgan Freeman";[200] "Kakistos" became "Kissing Toast," "Taquitos," and "Khaki Trousers";[7] "Acathla" became "Alfalfa" and "Al Franken";[6] "Beljoxa's Eye" became "Botox's Eye";[31] and "Turok-Han" became "Chaka Khan."[190] She mispronounced as well even some words unrelated to the supernatural, such as "Haberdashery," which became "Haerbradasgrening," "Habbledaspery," and "Have-a-dash-of-tea."[201]
She often displayed poor driving skills. She repeatedly asked her mother if she could take lessons, to little avail. When she finally did get behind the wheel, she didn't know what the hand brake was for.[202] She later admitted that "drive and Buffy are unmixy things."[191] She also drove while in Faith's body, again badly (although this could be because she was being chased by assassins at the time and was trying to get away).[72] Still later, she was shown to still have possession of Joyce's SUV, but was still characteristically terrible at driving and parking it.[203] Strangely, however, she was shown driving at one point and did so perfectly.[10]
Buffy also tended to unconsciously babble out almost senseless sentences when she was emotional or nervous (much to the dismay, amusement or confusion of others). Angel and Willow had fondly discussed this aspect of hers, both agreeing that when Buffy was emotionally excited or worked up, it's hard to get a word in.[204] Giles also had once described Buffy as willful, insolent, and that she abused the English language terribly[59] Buffy later admitted to having this trait, when briefly transported to the future.[126]
Buffy had a strong distaste towards the use of conventional firearms largely to their ineffectiveness against most demons, with Tara's death by Warren's stray bullet[103] only reinforcing her dislike. When a police officer intervened while she fought a M'Fashnik demon, Buffy chucked his pistol away, telling him: "These things, never helpful."[96] Months later, when given a machine gun and was unable the aim it properly, Buffy rephrased: "These things, never useful."[101] When she was hold at gun point after sword fighting Simone, Buffy declared: "I really don't like guns."[205] During a war against human soldiers, Buffy stuck by her "Slayers don't use guns" philosophy after Giles brought her a Chinese assault rifle.[206] When she saw Xander carrying his own gun, she told him: "I don't like [guns]. They keep killing my friends."[207] Buffy's dislike apparently distinguished lethal guns, as she employed the use of a tranquilizer rifle to sedate Oz while he was in wolf form.[208][186] Buffy's most common weapon over time was shown to be frequently identified as the traditional wooden stake, even being completely unbothered with using it on creatures other than vampires.[209] When probed of this habit, Buffy would simply say it was because she knew how to use it.[3]
Buffy had fixations on the singer Gavin Rossdale,[210] and the actors James Spader,[17] Daniel Craig, and Christian Bale.[118] She liked bubblegum, chewing gum, cola, lollipops,[26][6] popcorn, cheese, Ice Capades,[211] and the reality TV show The Bachelor.[149] During her crush on Ford, she listened to the song "I Touch Myself" by the Divinyls.[45] Buffy admitted to finding puppets creepy and that they gave her "a wig."[212]
Appearance
- “The part that gets me, though, is where Buffy is the Vampire Slayer. She's so little.”
- ―Jenny Calendar[src]
Buffy's most obvious noted feature was her relatively small size and slender frame, somewhat of an ironic statement given her physical strength and superior Slayer agility.[23] Her hair, although changing in tone, haircut, and hairstyle through the years in accord to fashion and mood, was naturally and constantly blond.[90]
Buffy's other distinguishing features included a bite-mark scar on the right side of her neck. She originally received this scar from the Master, but since then was bitten by other vampires: Angel,[63] Dracula,[78] and Spike.[173] This was a recognizable fact among other Slayers and demons alike, enough to be a requisite to her decoys.[213] Notably, Buffy received a tattoo of the Mark of Eyghon from Ethan Rayne, but later spent her allowance to have it removed.[210]
Powers and abilities
Slayer powers
Buffy was arguably the most powerful and successful Slayer to have existed, as seen through her long-Slayer lived-life and numerous victories.[35] A contributing factor to this was the emotional connections she formed, thus increasing her will to live which is in contrast to previous slayers who were disconnected from everyone, giving them little to live for.[81] As a Slayer, Buffy had the normal powers that came with the role, including superhuman strength, speed, agility, reflexes, durability,[85] accelerated healing,[1] and the following:
- Physical combat — As with every Slayer, Buffy possessed a natural proficiency with virtually all forms of weaponry and unarmed combat styles, and in addition to this she had years of combat training to hone in her skills using various martial arts (particularly jiu-jitsu and aikido).[85] Buffy tended towards a more improvisational approach to fighting, utilizing her emotions and anything in her environment that could help best her enemy.[30][85] Her insistence to "go with the flow" during fights was sometimes looked down upon by others who considered her technique too "sloppy,"[27][8] but Buffy believed this gave her the upper hand.[30] Even without her Slayer powers, Buffy retained her fighting skills and years of training; when temporarily stripped of her powers in the Supernatural Crisis Act, she was able to take on a human MMA fighter and defeat him.[177]
- Senses — Slayers possessed a heightened awareness of their surroundings, allowing them, with experience, to know the position of an attacker and fight them blindfolded or in the dark.[85] As example of this, Buffy was able to pinpoint the position of invisible Marcie Ross by standing silently for a few seconds before landing a perfect punch;[214] throw a ball at Giles after being spun while blindfolded;[202] and sensed a trio of invisible demons quietly entering the room, alerted just in time to turn around and block an attack.[215] However, Buffy never fully developed the Slayer power to sense supernatural activity, not knowing Angel[27] and Willow[216] were vampires until they revealed their demonic visage. Buffy normally relying on her wits to discern demons and vampires from humans, such as dated clothing indicating an immortal creature.[17][7]
- Psychic link — This link collected the memories of all past Slayers, experiences helped hone their skills and aid them in future battles.[127] It allowed as well communication between coexisting Slayers through dreams, as Buffy and Faith shared several dreams when Faith was in a coma, providing the first cryptic reference to Dawn's arrival and Buffy's own death.[63]
- Prophetic dreaming — This ability allowed Buffy to foresee events such as various of her foes for her first year in Sunnydale,[17] Angel losing his soul,[19] Jenny Calendar's deception,[52] the arrival of the Gentlemen,[69] and the deaths of the Potentials Slayers by the Harbingers of Death.[106]
- Intellect — Although she was often underestimated by herself[6] and others,[184] Buffy frequently showed herself to be quite intelligent, possessing strong leadership skills and having a natural flair for tactical planning.[85][22] Her responsibilities as the Slayer often interfered in her studies;[6] but, when Buffy had the opportunity to dedicate herself,[202] she reached a near-perfect S.A.T. score[217] and came to perform well in college.[186][218] Buffy was also a quick thinker, as an example of when she defeated Kralik by using his dependency on anti-psychotic medication against him,[58] and she had notable deducting skills, such as when she was the only one to realize the Buffybot's true nature,[88] knew about Riley's affiliation to the Initiative based on weeks of evidence,[219] discovered Spike's collaboration with Adam and Adam's plans to create a race of human-demon cyborgs based on her running into Spike in the Initiative tunnels,[76] realized Katrina's true murderer upon hearing her name at the police station,[98] and correctly assumed Caleb was hiding something important at the vineyard.[113][114]
Other powers
In addition to the common Slayer powers, Buffy had gained other abilities through spells:
- Mystical protection — After becoming the leader to the activated Slayers, Xander commented that Buffy had some degree of mystical protection over her then, at least while she slept. To that end, her protection meant even daggers split apart so as not to pierce her skin.[220]
- Mystical link with Willow — After years in their friendship and alliance, Buffy was able to initiate a telepathic conversation with Willow.[31] Their connection was strong to the point that even when unconscious, Willow could channel an amount of her power at will through Buffy, allowing her to conjure up a shield and a fist-enhancing gauntlet made out of green magical energy.[122]
Temporary powers
Buffy had possession of other abilities for brief periods of time:
- Slaypire - When Billy Palmer's astral projection caused people's nightmares to manifest throughout Sunnydale, Buffy's worst nightmare came true when she was sired by the Master. As a "Slaypire," Buffy had the combined powers of a Slayer and a vampire, making her stronger than either, and proved it by easily fighting off the Ugly Man, who she was no match for prior to being sired. Buffy was returned to normal when she defeated the Ugly Man, allowing Billy to wake up from his coma.[14]
- Telepathy — In high school, Buffy received an aspect of a demon that she killed, and gained the ability to hear the thoughts of others (although not vampires, which leave no reflection in the mind). She became unable to control all of the thoughts in her head, but a potion containing the heart of a demon of this species cleaned her of the ability.[184]
- Enjoining spell — To defeat Adam, Buffy became the focus of a complex spell that drew on the pure source of the Slayer's power and briefly gave her the combined abilities of Xander, Willow, and Giles. Through Sineya, her original Slayer powers were increased to far greater levels, gained incredibly potent magical abilities, and had access to Giles' extensive knowledge of hand to hand combat and spells. For example, she fried Adam's bullets in the air, turned a missile into a dove, punched through Adam's armored hide, and ripped out his radioactive uranium power core without ill effects. The spell faded immediately after Buffy defeated the nearly invincible Adam.[76]
- Invisibility — Shortly after her resurrection, Buffy was accidentally rendered invisible by the Trio. At first, she enjoyed her new ability, before she learned that her life was in danger. Willow reverses the effects when she gets a hold of the Trio's invisibility ray.[10]
- Twilight's empowerment — Near the end of the Twilight crisis, Buffy gained a multitude of new powers: her strength, speed, agility, and reflexes were greatly enhanced, and she developed a telescopic vision, superhuman hearing, flight, and a level of invulnerability.[207] These abilities were granted to her by the Universe as a reward for changing the world and the balance of the grand design.[34] According to Twilight, Buffy's powers could only be activated if she was completely focused on her goal, resulting in Angel assuming the identity of the masked Twilight to provide an enemy for Buffy to fight to trigger her "evolution."[121] Twilight's influence over Buffy's powers terminated with the destruction of the Seed.[36]
- Collective Slayer powers — To fight Joanna Wise, who had turned herself into a magic-infused cyborg much stronger than a Slayer, Buffy was the focus of a spell reversing the activation of all the Slayers in the world, returning to her the power she had shared with Potentials in 2003 and grew in each of them. Notably, it gave Buffy the ability to cut magic with the Scythe, resist an attack of Rain of Death, overpower Wise's strength,[180] survive the burning from her spells, and heal from severe wounds within days. After defeating Wise and eventually healing herself, Buffy and Willow returned all the power back.[40]
Slays
In fifteen years as a Slayer, Buffy directly killed at least 323 adversaries, including over 200 vampires, over 100 demons, 9 humans, among other creatures. Her major victories included the masters in the forces of evil Lothos,[21] the Master,[23] Angel,[54] Adam,[76] Caleb,[22] D'Hoffryn,[39] and Harth Fray.[41]
Deaths
- “Hey, I've died twice.”
- ―Buffy Summers[src]
Buffy died at the age of sixteen after being bitten and drowned by the Master.[23] Xander subsequently revived her by performing CPR, but this momentary death was enough to activate Kendra as the Slayer.[43] Buffy's second death occurred when she was twenty years old, when she sacrificed herself to save Dawn and the world by hurling herself off a tower and using her own blood to close a mystical portal. She was buried in a Sunnydale cemetery,[91] where her body rested for 147 days until Willow, Xander, Tara, and Anya resurrected her.[29]
When Buffy was shot by Warren Mears, she briefly flatlined in the hospital before being saved by Willow, who removed the bullet via telekinesis. It was never acknowledged by Buffy or anyone else whether this constituted a third death.[103] Buffy's nightmare came true when she was turned into a vampire by the Master because a comatose Billy Palmer was inadvertently merging the line between reality and dreams; this death was quickly reversed when Billy woke up.[14] An alternate version of Buffy also died at the hands of the Master, who snapped her neck, but this alternative timeline was erased by the alternate Giles.[209]
Relationships
Buffy's most significant romances in her life were with the vampires Angel and Spike. Buffy dreamed about both men, often together, long after the respective relationships ended.[220][221] Giles even made a comment of her truest loves being Angel and Spike.[35] In one of these dreams, she had Spike commenting that she could no longer tell them apart.[221]
Other important relationships of Buffy's have included Pike, Parker, Riley Finn, and Satsu. Pike was her friend and love interest when she first began her journey as the Slayer, but the pair broke up before she moved to Sunnydale.[21] In college, she dated Riley in the hopes of having a "normal" relationship, only to discover he was an Initiative soldier.[69] Satsu was Buffy's fellow Slayer, as well as her first and only same-sex liaison.[124]
Buffy herself never mentioned nor described her own orientation, not more than answering to her being gay with "not so you'd notice."[123]
Gallery
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Behind the scenes
- Buffy was portrayed by Sarah Michelle Gellar. She was also portrayed by Kristy Swanson in the movie; had the stunt doubles Sophia Crawford, Michele Waitman, and Melissa Barker; and was voiced by Giselle Loren in video games and Kelly Albanese in the Season Eight Motion Comic. In the television series, she was also portrayed by Eliza Dushku in "This Year's Girl"/"Who Are You?" Mimi Paley in "Killed by Death," Candice Nicole in "Blood Ties," Alexandra Lee in "The Weight of the World," and an unknown stand-in in "Soul Purpose."
- Joss Whedon chose the name Buffy "because It was the name that I could think of that I took the least seriously. There is no way you could hear the name Buffy and think, 'This is an important person.' To juxtapose that with 'Vampire Slayer,' just felt like that kind of thing — a B movie. But a B movie that had something more going on. That was my dream." Whedon went on to say that "the network begged me to change the title. I was like, 'You don't understand. It has to be this. This is what it is.' To this day, everyone says, 'Oh, the title kept it from being taken seriously.' I'm like, 'Well, f*** them. It's a B movie, and if you don't love B movies, then I won't let you play in my clubhouse."[222]
- Buffy, as a character, is largely based on Kitty Pryde, a character in the X-Men comic books. Whedon has said: "If there's a bigger influence on Buffy than Kitty, I don't know what it was. She was an adolescent girl finding out she has great power and dealing with it."[223] This was referenced when Buffy was experimenting her new powers in Twilight, Part One, and Xander asked if she was able to phase through solid objects, which is Kitty's mutant ability. In "No Need to Fear, the Slayer's Here," Xander recommends her to read X-Men, guessing she would like Shadowcat.
- In 2015, when asked at about favorite characters among his own, Joss Whedon replied: "My answer would change daily. But, I kind of feel how can say, Buffy? She is the distilled essence of everything I am… not."[224]
- Katie Holmes[225] and Selma Blair[226] were originally in the running for the role of Buffy in 1996. Natasha Lyonne was also offered the role but declined it due to not wanting to commit to a series at the age of 16.[227] Many others who auditioned for Buffy instead got other roles, including Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase),[228] Julie Benz (Darla),[229] and Mercedes McNab (Harmony Kendall).[230]
- Buffy appears in a total of 150 television episodes, only after Angel (168 episodes) as the most prolific character. Along with Willow, Giles, Xander, and Angel, she is one of only five characters to appear in both the first and last episodes of Buffy: "Welcome to the Hellmouth" and "Chosen."
Appearances
Canonical
The following appearances are considered canonical and form Buffy's official biography.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 1 | |||||||||||
"Welcome to the Hellmouth" Appears |
"The Harvest" Appears |
"Witch" Appears |
"Teacher's Pet" Appears |
"Never Kill a Boy on the First Date" Appears |
"The Pack" Appears |
"Angel" Appears |
"I Robot, You Jane" Appears |
"The Puppet Show" Appears |
"Nightmares" Appears |
"Out of Mind, Out of Sight" Appears |
"Prophecy Girl" Appears |
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 2 | |||||||||||
"When She Was Bad" Appears |
"Some Assembly Required" Appears |
"School Hard" Appears |
"Inca Mummy Girl" Appears |
"Reptile Boy" Appears |
"Halloween" Appears |
"Lie to Me" Appears |
"The Dark Age" Appears |
"What's My Line? Part One" Appears |
"What's My Line? Part Two" Appears |
"Ted" Appears | |
"Bad Eggs" Appears |
"Surprise" Appears |
"Innocence" Appears |
"Phases" Appears |
"Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" Appears |
"Passion" Appears |
"Killed by Death" Appears |
"I Only Have Eyes for You" Appears |
"Go Fish" Appears |
"Becoming, Part One" Appears |
"Becoming, Part Two" Appears |
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 3 | |||||||||||
"Anne" Appears |
"Dead Man's Party" Appears |
"Faith, Hope & Trick" Appears |
"Beauty and the Beasts" Appears |
"Homecoming" Appears |
"Band Candy" Appears |
"Revelations" Appears |
"Lovers Walk" Appears |
"The Wish" Appears |
"Amends" Appears |
"Gingerbread" Appears | |
"Helpless" Appears |
"The Zeppo" Appears |
"Bad Girls" Appears |
"Consequences" Appears |
"Doppelgängland" Appears |
"Enemies" Appears |
"Earshot" Appears |
"Choices" Appears |
"The Prom" Appears |
"Graduation Day, Part One" Appears |
"Graduation Day, Part Two" Appears |
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 4 | |||||||||||
"The Freshman" Appears |
"Living Conditions" Appears |
"The Harsh Light of Day" Appears |
"Fear, Itself" Appears |
"Beer Bad" Appears |
"Wild at Heart" Appears |
"The Initiative" Appears |
"Pangs" Appears |
"Something Blue" Appears |
"Hush" Appears |
"Doomed" Appears | |
"A New Man" Appears |
"The I in Team" Appears |
"Goodbye Iowa" Appears |
"This Year's Girl" Appears |
"Who Are You?" Appears |
"Superstar" Appears |
"Where the Wild Things Are" Appears |
"New Moon Rising" Appears |
"The Yoko Factor" Appears |
"Primeval" Appears |
"Restless" Appears |
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 5 | |||||||||||
"Buffy vs. Dracula" Appears |
"Real Me" Appears |
"The Replacement" Appears |
"Out of My Mind" Appears |
"No Place Like Home" Appears |
"Family" Appears |
"Fool for Love" Appears |
"Shadow" Appears |
"Listening to Fear" Appears |
"Into the Woods" Appears |
"Triangle" Appears | |
"Checkpoint" Appears |
"Blood Ties" Appears |
"Crush" Appears |
"I Was Made to Love You" Appears |
"The Body" Appears |
"Forever" Appears |
"Intervention" Appears |
"Tough Love" Appears |
"Spiral" Appears |
"The Weight of the World" Appears |
"The Gift" Appears |
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 6 | |||||||||||
"Bargaining, Part One" Appears |
"Bargaining, Part Two" Appears |
"After Life" Appears |
"Flooded" Appears |
"Life Serial" Appears |
"All the Way" Appears |
"Once More, with Feeling" Appears |
"Tabula Rasa" Appears |
"Smashed" Appears |
"Wrecked" Appears |
"Gone" Appears | |
"Doublemeat Palace" Appears |
"Dead Things" Appears |
"Older and Far Away" Appears |
"As You Were" Appears |
"Hell's Bells" Appears |
"Normal Again" Appears |
"Entropy" Appears |
"Seeing Red" Appears |
"Villains" Appears |
"Two to Go" Appears |
"Grave" Appears |
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 7 | |||||||||||
"Lessons" Appears |
"Beneath You" Appears |
"Same Time, Same Place" Appears |
"Help" Appears |
"Selfless" Appears |
"Him" Appears |
"Conversations with Dead People" Appears |
"Sleeper" Appears |
"Never Leave Me" Appears |
"Bring on the Night" Appears |
"Showtime" Appears | |
"Potential" Appears |
"The Killer in Me" Appears |
"First Date" Appears |
"Get It Done" Appears |
"Storyteller" Appears |
"Lies My Parents Told Me" Appears |
"Dirty Girls" Appears |
"Empty Places" Appears |
"Touched" Appears |
"End of Days" Appears |
"Chosen" Appears |
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Origin | |||||||||||
The Origin, Part 1 Appears |
The Origin, Part 2 Appears |
The Origin, Part 3 Appears |
Tales | |||||||||||
"Prologue" Absent |
"Righteous" Absent |
"The Innocent" Absent |
"Presumption" Absent |
"The Glittering World" Absent |
"Sonnenblume" Absent |
"Nikki Goes Down!" Absent |
"Tales" Flashback | ||||
Broken Bottle of Djinn Appears |
Tales of the Vampires Absent |
"Father" Absent |
"Spot the Vampire" Absent |
"Dust Bowl" Absent |
"Jack" Absent |
"Stacy" Absent | |||||
"Some Like It Hot" Absent |
"The Problem with Vampires" Absent |
"Taking Care of Business" Absent |
"Dames" Absent |
"Antique" Appears |
"Numb" Absent |
The Thrill Absent |
"Carpe Noctem" Mention |
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9 | |||||||||||
"Magical Mystery Tour, Featuring the Beetles" Appears |
Freefall, Part 1 Appears |
Freefall, Part 2 Appears |
Freefall, Part 3 Appears |
Freefall, Part 4 Appears |
Slayer, Interrupted Appears |
On Your Own, Part 1 Appears |
On Your Own, Part 2 Appears |
Apart (of Me), Part 1 Appears |
Apart (of Me), Part 2 Appears |
Apart (of Me), Part 3 Appears | |
"In Space No One Can Hear You Slay" Appears |
Guarded, Part 1 Appears |
Guarded, Part 2 Appears |
Guarded, Part 3 Appears |
Billy the Vampire Slayer, Part 1 Mention |
Billy the Vampire Slayer, Part 2 Appears |
Wonderland, Part 1 Flashback |
Wonderland, Part 2 Vision |
Wonderland, Part 3 Vision |
Wonderland, Part 4 Vision |
Wonderland, Part 5 Vision | |
Welcome to the Team, Part 1 Appears |
Welcome to the Team, Part 2 Appears |
Welcome to the Team, Part 3 Appears |
Welcome to the Team, Part 4 Appears |
The Watcher Appears |
The Core, Part 1 Appears |
The Core, Part 2 Appears |
The Core, Part 3 Appears |
The Core, Part 4 Appears |
The Core, Part 5 Appears |
Love vs. Life Flashback |
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 10 | |||||||||||
New Rules, Part 1 Appears |
New Rules, Part 2 Appears |
New Rules, Part 3 Appears |
New Rules, Part 4 Appears |
New Rules, Part 5 Appears |
I Wish, Part 1 Appears |
I Wish, Part 2 Appears |
Return to Sunnydale, Part 1 Appears |
Return to Sunnydale, Part 2 Appears |
Day Off (or Harmony in My Head) Appears | ||
Love Dares You, Part 1 Appears |
Love Dares You, Part 2 Appears |
Love Dares You, Part 3 Appears |
Relationship Status: Complicated, Part 1 Appears |
Relationship Status: Complicated, Part 2 Appears |
Old Demons, Part 1 Appears |
Old Demons, Part 2 Appears |
Old Demons, Part 3 Appears |
Freaky Giles Day Appears |
Triggers Appears | ||
In Pieces on the Ground, Part 1 Appears |
In Pieces on the Ground, Part 2 Appears |
In Pieces on the Ground, Part 3 Appears |
In Pieces on the Ground, Part 4 Appears |
In Pieces on the Ground, Part 5 Appears |
Own It, Part 1 Appears |
Own It, Part 2 Appears |
Own It, Part 3 Appears |
Own It, Part 4 Appears |
Own It, Part 5 Appears | ||
"Where Are They Now?" Appears |
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 11 | |||||||||||
The Spread of Their Evil Appears |
In Time of Crisis Appears |
A House Divided Appears |
Desperate Times Appears |
Desperate Measures Appears |
Back to the Wall Appears |
Disempowered Appears |
Ordinary People Appears | ||||
The Great Escape Appears |
Crimes Against Nature Appears |
Revelations Appears |
One Girl in All the World Appears |
Girl Blue, Part 1 Appears |
Girl Blue, Part 2 Appears |
Girl Blue, Part 3 Appears |
Girl Blue, Part 4 Appears |
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 12 | |||||||||||
One Year Later Appears |
Future Shock Appears |
The Reckoning Appears |
Finale Appears |
Angel: Season 1 | |||||||||||
"City Of" Archive |
"Lonely Heart" Absent |
"In the Dark" Mention |
"I Fall to Pieces" Absent |
"Rm w/a Vu" Mention |
"Sense & Sensitivity" Absent |
"The Bachelor Party" Vision |
"I Will Remember You" Appears |
"Hero" Mention |
"Parting Gifts" Mention |
"Somnambulist" Mention | |
"Expecting" Absent |
"She" Absent |
"I've Got You Under My Skin" Absent |
"The Prodigal" Absent |
"The Ring" Absent |
"Eternity" Mention |
"Five by Five" Mention |
"Sanctuary" Appears |
"War Zone" Absent |
"Blind Date" Absent |
"To Shanshu in L.A." Absent |
Angel: Season 2 | |||||||||||
"Judgment" Absent |
"Are You Now or Have You Ever Been" Absent |
"First Impressions" Absent |
"Untouched" Absent |
"Dear Boy" Mention |
"Guise Will Be Guise" Absent |
"Darla" Absent |
"The Shroud of Rahmon" Absent |
"The Trial" Absent |
"Reunion" Absent |
"Redefinition" Mention | |
"Blood Money" Absent |
"Happy Anniversary" Absent |
"The Thin Dead Line" Absent |
"Reprise" Absent |
"Epiphany" Absent |
"Disharmony" Absent |
"Dead End" Absent |
"Belonging" Absent |
"Over the Rainbow" Absent |
"Through the Looking Glass" Absent |
"There's No Place Like Plrtz Glrb" Mention |
Angel: Season 3 | |||||||||||
"Heartthrob" Mention |
"That Vision- Thing" Absent |
"That Old Gang of Mine" Mention |
"Carpe Noctem" Mention |
"Fredless" Mention |
"Billy" Absent |
"Offspring" Mention |
"Quickening" Absent |
"Lullaby" Absent |
"Dad" Absent |
"Birthday" Absent | |
"Provider" Absent |
"Waiting in the Wings" Absent |
"Couplet" Absent |
"Loyalty" Absent |
"Sleep Tight" Absent |
"Forgiving" Absent |
"Double or Nothing" Absent |
"The Price" Absent |
"A New World" Absent |
"Benediction" Absent |
"Tomorrow" Absent |
Angel: Season 4 | |||||||||||
"Deep Down" Mention |
"Ground State" Absent |
"The House Always Wins" Absent |
"Slouching Toward Bethlehem" Absent |
"Supersymmetry" Absent |
"Spin the Bottle" Absent |
"Apocalypse, Nowish" Absent |
"Habeas Corpses" Absent |
"Long Day's Journey" Absent |
"Awakening" Mention |
"Soulless" Mention | |
"Calvary" Absent |
"Salvage" Mention |
"Release" Absent |
"Orpheus" Mention |
"Players" Absent |
"Inside Out" Mention |
"Shiny Happy People" Absent |
"The Magic Bullet" Absent |
"Sacrifice" Absent |
"Peace Out" Absent |
"Home" Mention |
Angel: Season 5 | |||||||||||
"Conviction" Absent |
"Just Rewards" Archive |
"Unleashed" Mention |
"Hell Bound" Mention |
"Life of the Party" Absent |
"The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco" Absent |
"Lineage" Absent |
"Destiny" Mention |
"Harm's Way" Mention |
"Soul Purpose" Vision |
"Damage" Mention | |
"You're Welcome" Absent |
"Why We Fight" Absent |
"Smile Time" Absent |
"A Hole in the World" Absent |
"Shells" Mention |
"Underneath" Absent |
"Origin" Absent |
"Time Bomb" Absent |
"The Girl in Question" Mention |
"Power Play" Mention |
"Not Fade Away" Absent |
Spike | |||||||||||
Asylum, Part 1 Absent |
Asylum, Part 2 Absent |
Asylum, Part 3 Absent |
Asylum, Part 4 Absent |
Asylum, Part 5 Absent |
Spike: After the Fall, Part 1 Mention |
Spike: After the Fall, Part 2 Absent |
Spike: After the Fall, Part 3 Absent |
Spike: After the Fall, Part 4 Absent | |||
Alone Together Now Flashback |
What Happens in Vegas, Slays in Vegas Mention |
Everybody Loves Spike Absent |
You Haven't Changed a Bit Mention |
Bedknobs and Boomsticks Mention |
Something Borrowed Mention |
Give and Take Mention |
Stranger Things Absent |
Spike: Into the Light Mention |
Angel & Faith | |||||||||||
Live Through This, Part 1 Mention |
Live Through This, Part 2 Flashback |
Live Through This, Part 3 Mention |
Live Through This, Part 4 Absent |
In Perfect Harmony Mention |
Daddy Issues, Part 1 Flashback |
Daddy Issues, Part 2 Absent |
Daddy Issues, Part 3 Absent |
Daddy Issues, Part 4 Absent |
Women of a Certain Age Absent | ||
Family Reunion, Part 1 Mention |
Family Reunion, Part 2 Absent |
Family Reunion, Part 3 Absent |
Family Reunion, Part 4 Absent |
The Hero of His Own Story Flashback |
A Dark Place, Part 1 Flashback |
A Dark Place, Part 2 Flashback |
A Dark Place, Part 3 Mention |
A Dark Place, Part 4 Mention |
A Dark Place, Part 5 Mention | ||
Death and Consequences, Part 1 Absent |
Death and Consequences, Part 2 Absent |
Death and Consequences, Part 3 Flashback |
Death and Consequences, Part 4 Flashback |
Spike and Faith Mention |
What You Want, Not What You Need, Part 1 Absent |
What You Want, Not What You Need, Part 2 Mention |
What You Want, Not What You Need, Part 3 Absent |
What You Want, Not What You Need, Part 4 Mention |
What You Want, Not What You Need, Part 5 Mention |
Angel & Faith: Season 10 | |||||||||||
Where the River Meets the Sea, Part 1 Appears |
Where the River Meets the Sea, Part 2 Absent |
Where the River Meets the Sea, Part 3 Mention |
Where the River Meets the Sea, Part 4 Absent |
Old Habits Mention |
Lost and Found, Part 1 Flashback |
Lost and Found, Part 2 Absent |
Lost and Found, Part 3 Absent |
Lost and Found, Part 4 Mention |
Lost and Found, Part 5 Flashback | ||
United, Part 1 Absent |
United, Part 2 Absent |
United, Part 3 Absent |
United, Part 4 Absent |
Fight or Flight Absent |
Those Who Can't Teach, Teach Gym, Part 1 Mention |
Those Who Can't Teach, Teach Gym, Part 2 Flashback |
Those Who Can't Teach, Teach Gym, Part 3 Mention |
A Little More than Kin, Part 1 Mention |
A Little More than Kin, Part 2 Absent | ||
A Tale of Two Families, Part 1 Mention |
A Tale of Two Families, Part 2 Mention |
A Tale of Two Families, Part 3 Mention |
A Tale of Two Families, Part 4 Absent |
A Tale of Two Families, Part 5 Absent |
Other
As the main character in the franchise, Buffy has also appeared in the majority of Buffy expanded universe material.
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer film
- Buffy's first ever appearance, in 1992. The Origin miniseries replaces its role in Buffy canon.
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer comics, novels, and video games
- Tie-in materials not written or plotted by Joss Whedon are of unknown canonicity.