Buffyverse Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Buffyverse Wiki

They're incapable of thinking about what they want beyond the moment. They kill each other, which is clearly insane, and yet, here's the thing. When it's something that really matters, they fight. I mean, they're lame morons for fighting. But they do. They never… They never quit.
Anya Jenkins[src]

Human was the dominant species of the Earth dimension, following the rule of the Old Ones.[1]

History[]

Origins[]

And like a plague of boils, the race of Man covered the Earth.
Luke[src]

During the Primordium Age, humans were terrorized by various demons even before recorded history.[1] The first Slayer was created by the Shadowmen during this time period to combat and overthrow the demons.[2] After all the pure demons were killed or driven to other dimensions, the demon species remaining on Earth were all hybridized with humans in one way or other — the most notable being vampires, blood-drinking demons who inhabit dead human bodies.[1]

Humans also existed in the dimension of Pylea where they lived as slaves, called "cows", to the dominant demon species. This was the norm until the ruling Covenant of Trombli was overthrown, and the human and demon citizens of Pylea were declared equal.[3]

Reception to the supernatural[]

Legally, until a couple years ago, the supernatural didn't exist. It's not like right to bear stakes is in the constitution.
Willow Rosenberg[src]

For much of recorded history, the majority of humans lived unaware or in denial of the existence of supernatural forces, with exceptions such as humans magic practitioners and professional demon hunters, who still hid their identities. The remaining demons on Earth lived in secret, many of them preying upon humans and human vices covertly.[1]

The supernatural became public knowledge in the early 21st century, after vampires were unequivocally exposed to the media.[4] The initial reception was overwhelmingly positive; vampires dominated the popular culture in a "vampire craze,"[4] and it was established the Reform Vampirism, in which vampires wouldn't harm humans in order to maintain civility between the species.[5] This also created a wave of hate against Slayers, who defended humanity against vampires, also judged as non-humans and a threat to humanity itself. The popularity of vampires came to a halt only with the rise of the threatening zompires during the end of magic.[6]

A notable regressive event in supernatural relations was the American Supernatural Crisis Act, which responded to a national state of fear and violence against demons and magic practitioners, after a supernatural attack on San Francisco[7] orchestrated by the Pandora Project.[8] Despite the responsible for the disaster was finally identified and exposed — a human —, the supernatural returned to the shadows, generally returning to their previous dynamics of predators and prey with humans and Slayers.[9]

Characteristics[]

You know, for someone who teaches human behavior, you might try showing some.
Buffy Summers[src]

Humans were often described as physically and emotionally weak,[10] with strong but contradictory morals.[11] Non-humans had mostly referred to them with disgust, reflecting their mutual hostile political positions overall.[12] Emotions such as remorse and compassion were defining to the sense of humanity, also associated with the presence of a soul,[13][14] which, in abnormal circumstances, humans were capable of lacking[15][16][17] and other creatures like vampires able to have.[13][18][19] 

The Judge, a demon sent to wipe out the human race, identified humanity as the emotional capacity of a given target. In his separation of "the righteous from the wicked," the vampire couple Spike and Drusilla were vulnerable to his destruction for sharing affection and jealousy for each other, as well as the scholar Dalton, described as "full of feeling."[20]

The bio-mechanical demonoid Adam appreciated that, to make up for their shortcomings, humans were much smarter and more technologically-advanced than demons.[10]

Variations and enhancements[]

Though standard humans were bound by natural limits such as mortality, vulnerability to sickness, and lack of innate supernatural powers, they were very capable of being physical empowered through magical or scientific influence, thus resulting in variations of many different beings with human origin.

Some of these conditions didn't alter their human status by themselves, while others were an entirely different species. With specific exceptions, these variations and enhancements also weren't limited to humans.

Supernatural[]

All the demons that walk the Earth are tainted, are human hybrids, like vampires.
Anya Jenkins[src]
  • Vampires originated when the last banished Old One, Maloker, killed and mixed his blood with a human.[21] Then, through this process of siring, vampires had the ability to turn any human into these human/demon undead hybrids.[12]
  • Zombies, like vampires, were dead humans reanimated through magical means, becoming mindless foot soldiers that tended to retain their decomposed and deathly appearance.[22][23]
  • Mummies, similar to zombies, were magically reanimated human corpses, but with regenerative powers.[24]
  • Zompires were a by-product of the end of magic. If a human was sired in this period, they would rise with basic vampire characteristics, though as single-minded beasts like zombies.[25]
  • Werewolves suffered from an infection-like curse which transformed them into wolf-like beasts during the nights of the full moon.[26]
  • Vengeance demons became demon hybrids after the recruitment by the demon lord D'Hoffryn.[27] With the loss of their power, they were capable of becoming humans again.[28]
  • Witches and warlocks were able to perform magical spells, either through practice or inheritance.[29]
  • Slayers were young girls imbued with the physical powers of most demons, such as superhuman strength, speed, endurance, and fighting skills.[30]
  • Ghosts and poltergeists could be the spiritual manifestations of deceased humans.[31][32]
  • Half-demons could be born between humans and demons.[33][34][35]
  • Through a variety of curses and spells, humans could also turn, either temporally or permanently, into demons,[36][37] animals,[38][29][39] and even objects.[40][41]

Scientific[]

Disappointed by demon-kind, we turned to humans. Smart, adaptive, but emotional and weak. Blind. There's imperfection everywhere. Something must be done.
Adam[src]

Non-human origins[]

This body… it's just a rental, Dawnie. Being human? It's like a costume for girls like you and me. Being something else, that's what we are.
Glorificus[src]

Organizations[]

Various organizations were formed in order to protect humans, studying and combating demonic entities, but often not limited to it. Some groups also included non-human individuals, but still dedicated to human protection and the preservation of Earth dimension.

Appearances[]

As protagonists or supporting cast, humans appeared in every episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. They have also appeared in all novels, as well as comic titles, with the exception of:

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "The Harvest"
  2. "Prologue"
  3. "There's No Place Like Plrtz Glrb"
  4. 4.0 4.1 Harmonic Divergence
  5. In Perfect Harmony
  6. Apart (of Me), Part Three
  7. In Time of Crisis
  8. Revelations
  9. One Girl in All the World
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 "Primeval"
  11. "End of Days"
  12. 12.0 12.1 "Welcome to the Hellmouth"
  13. 13.0 13.1 "Angel"
  14. "Dead Things"
  15. "Living Conditions"
  16. "I've Got You Under My Skin"
  17. Bedknobs and Boomsticks
  18. "Grave"
  19. Something Borrowed
  20. "Innocence"
  21. The Core, Part One
  22. "Dead Man's Party"
  23. "The Thin Dead Line"
  24. "Inca Mummy Girl"
  25. Freefall, Part Three
  26. "Phases"
  27. 27.0 27.1 27.2 "Selfless"
  28. 28.0 28.1 "The Wish"
  29. 29.0 29.1 29.2 "Gingerbread"
  30. "Get It Done"
  31. "I Only Have Eyes for You"
  32. "Rm w/a Vu"
  33. "City Of"
  34. "Through the Looking Glass"
  35. The Hero of His Own Story
  36. "Graduation Day, Part Two"
  37. "A New Man"
  38. "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered"
  39. Retreat, Part Three
  40. "Witch"
  41. 41.0 41.1 "The Puppet Show"
  42. "Goodbye Iowa"
  43. "Go Fish"
  44. "Out of Mind, Out of Sight"
  45. "Untouched"
  46. "Blind Date"
  47. "Becoming, Part One"
  48. "Help"
  49. "Over the Rainbow"
  50. "Ground State"
  51. "Beauty and the Beasts"
  52. "No Place Like Home"
  53. "Own It"
  54. "Blood Ties"
  55. "The Gift"
  56. "A Hole in the World"
  57. "United"
  58. "Teacher's Pet"
  59. "Living Conditions"
  60. "Doublemeat Palace"
  61. "First Date"
  62. "Amends"
  63. 63.0 63.1 "Ted"
  64. 64.0 64.1 "I Was Made to Love You"
  65. 65.0 65.1 "Intervention"
  66. 66.0 66.1 "Villains"
  67. "The Gift"
  68. "Bargaining, Part One"
  69. Apart (of Me), Part One
  70. "I Will Remember You"
  71. "To Shanshu in L.A."
  72. Freefall, Part Two
Advertisement