- ↳ Note: This article is about the actual human/demon hybrids. For the the non-pure demons, see Half-breeds.
A half-demon was a being who was part human and part demon, usually the child of a demon and a human. Although not all the parents of half-demons are known, most seem to result from the pairing of a male demon and a female human.
Even though demons had a tendancy to impregnate humans with their spawn or create new demons by infecting humans (Haxil Beasts, Skilosh Demons and so on), the offspring wouldn't count as half-demons but rather as the species of their demonic parent since most demons that existed on Earth were part human since the banishment of the Old Ones. A half-demon would be something entirely new in each case.
Most known half-demons look like humans, and apparently have no characteristics of their demonic relatives (horns, hooves, claws, tails, and other traits). Some of them, however, do not look entirely human. The Groosalugg has unusual looking eyes, Sara has strange looking ears, and Nash and Pearl each have an "elfish" look to them.
Apparently the same mystical rules apply to half-demons as demons. Vampires can not enter a human's home without an invitation but this does not apply to demons. For example, Angel could enter the homes of Billy and Connor without being invited. In an episode Lorne's Hotel Hyperion has the same magic as his bar, which is designed to prevent violence by demons. Connor is surprised when he realizes that this magic also wards off his attacks.
While many half-demons decide to do good, there are also some that are as evil as any pure demon. However, it is unclear whether their demonic origin predisposed them to evil, because most evil acting half-demons actually had human motives.
Society
The union between a demon and Power That Be.
Half-demons are not numerous enough to form a separate society, so that almost all of them, to ally either with humans or with demons, depending on whom they feel they belong. Although Nash and Pearl were convinced than half-demons they are an evolution of demons and humans alike. Humans looked at their as a modern but weak, while demons were considered strong but archaic, but they had only benefits from both sides as half-demons.
As humans and demons respond to half-demons, but turns out differently. The Scourge chasing half-demons when they find them, but also normal demons when they occur to them "human." The Groosalugg had to Pylea full shame very dangerous quests, because his society watched his human appearance as great shame. Sara was despised by her human half-brother that she was a half-demon. Billy's family feared him because of his special forces, where it also played a role, he was very malicious.
By contrast, Cordelia did not seem to find bad that Doyle was a half-demon after she had figured it out (at that time she was herself still a human being). Also Rieff's mother was accepted as one of their by the Lister Clan. The Fraser Gang has Mal Fraser as their leader accepted, although he is a half-demon, and the other are demons.
Powers & Abilities
Although the strength of a half-demon is very different, so it seems to be so that almost all half-demons are much stronger than humans. It has been shown that many half-demons also are stronger than most vampires. Some of them can compete with demons and Slayers even. Not only in their strength, but also in their speed, endurance, resilience and regeneration, half-demons are very often superior to humans.
Many half-demons seems to have the ability to shapeshift any of their human form in their demonic form. However, most half-demons seem this ability not to have, or have at least never shown.
Many half-demons also have magical powers. Billy could get men to kill. Nash and Pearl can fly and attack with "energy beams". And Cordelia had also gained special abilities after her transformation into a half-demon. However, these abilities do not have all half-demons, because they are individual, depending on which demon species they are related to.
Demons have a much longer life expectancy than humans in general. Hundreds or thousands of years, some are even immortal. Probably half-demons have a higher life expectancy than humans, even if their childhood and youth apparently runs with human speed. The exact age of most half-demons is unknown, but Nash and Pearl still look like young, although they were born in the year 1935.
Notable half-demons
Normal half-demons
- Allen Francis Doyle
- Rieff's mother
- Billy Blim
- Sara Harris
- Darrow Steele
- Nash
- Pearl
- Mal Fraser
- Beck
- Ruby
Special cases
- Connor - a unique being "impossibly" conceived by two vampires, who are a mixture of human and demon themselves.
- Cordelia Chase - made part demon by the Powers That Be.
- Groosalugg - technically a mostly-demon, not a half-demon.
- Whistler - half not a human, rather a higher being.
Trivia
- Once is hinted that vampires can't drink the blood of half-demons.
- Cordelia Chase, who was originally a pure human, was transformed into a half-demon by the Powers That Be.
- The family of Tara claimed that the women in their family were partly demonic. But it soon became clear that this was just a lie to control women in the family. In fact, they were quite horrified when they saw a real demon.