Willow Rosenberg/Relationships

Willow Rosenberg had various relationships over the years.

Sexuality

“Well, hello! Gay now!”

―Willow

Following Oz's departure, Willow secretly performed spells with fellow Wicca Tara, but there were hints that they were more than just friends. Shortly afterward, their relationship did become more intimate, and Willow would identify as a lesbian. More specifically, Willow explicitly declared herself as gay. For then on, Willow only had female romantic and sexual partners as well.

Her sexuality was notable when, after losing her memory, she quickly noted: "I think I'm kinda gay." As one of the many women under R.J. Brooks' love spell, she sought to transform him into a woman. Also in Buffy's strange 1997-centric dream, she had been reminded that Willow still had a crush on Xander at that time, said incoherently, "Oh. That's right. You like… and you're not… Well, you probably are… but not—," referring to Willow later coming out as a lesbian; as Willow described having realized her sexuality since then. While at the beginning of a magical journey, Muffitt noted the symbolic presence of opening petals, instead of thrusting trees, representing Willow's sexual interest in women. She was uncertain of the use "dyke" in reference to herself, not knowing if it was "offensive" or "empowering," and preferring the use of "friend of Sappho."

Romance

“Once you fall for Willow, you stay fallen.”

―Buffy Summers

• Thomas — Encouraged by Buffy to "seize the day," Willow built up the courage to talk to a boy named Thomas and go for ice cream. However, when he turned out to be a vampire and tried to kill her, Buffy had to save her, and Willow was forced to accept the existence of demons.

• Moloch the Corruptor — Under the alias Malcolm Black, Willow unwittingly awoke this ancient demon by scanning him into the Internet. He claimed to be in love with her, starting an online relationship with her under the identity of Malcolm Black. However, when Willow rejected Malcolm after discovering he is actually a murderous, demonic robot, he tried to kill her and Buffy was forced to slay him.

Willow and Oz.

• Daniel "Oz" Osbourne — Willow first formally talked to Oz during the time Spike was trying to heal Drusilla, showing an interest in him, describing him as funny and cute. Encouraged by Buffy, Willow talked to Oz and invited him to Buffy's 17th birthday party which he came to as her date. He found out about vampires rather mellowly and Willow, infatuated, claimed that was cool of him. Soon after a while alone in a van with him, Willow impulsively asked him if he'd make out with her. While he admitted that he did want to kiss Willow, he mentioned that she might be trying to make Xander jealous or get even with him (due to his involvement with Cordelia) so he declined the offer, wanting to wait for the right time. They went on a date to see a movie but Willow began to get frustrated that their relationship was so delicate, as they hadn't even kissed. After some advice from Buffy, she decided to nervously confront Oz over it, only to realize he was a werewolf. Initially shocked by it, she showed understanding, as the discovery did not change her feelings for him and she claimed she was willing to give the relationship a shot, resulting in their first kiss. Willow and Oz continued to date for a while, developing a close and affectionate relationship. However, Willow began to act on her suppressed attraction to her best friend Xander and cheated on Oz many times by kissing him. Oz eventually found out about this, catching them kissing each other after they were abducted by Spike. They broke up because of this and Willow spent much of her time trying to earn Oz's trust again, feeling guilty, so much so that she permanently ended any future romantic liaisons with Xander. It wasn't long before he confronted her and despite the betrayal he had felt at her unfaithfulness, he genuinely admitted he missed her very much and wanted to be with her again, much to Willow's delight. She attempted to set a romantic mood and expressed a willingness to have sex with him to prove that she was truly serious about this. Oz gently declined her offer, reasoning that when it happened he wanted it to be for the same reasons and not stemming from a desire to prove herself to him. Willow accepted this and they spent Christmas watching movies and cuddling instead. Eventually, Willow and Oz finally made love with each other for the first time, fearing that they would die in the battle against Mayor Wilkins. Afterward, Willow confessed that she felt different and she shared a brief cuddling moment with him. She would admit to Oz that she felt guilty because, in some ways, it was the best day of her life, while an apocalypse was going on. They continued to have a happy and fulfilling relationship through their first few months at UC Sunnydale only for complications to arise with the appearance of Veruca. Oz started to show intense attraction to her despite his loyalty and love for Willow, something she quickly noticed. Willow became increasingly insecure and jealous of this, bitterly describing Veruca as "dressing like Faith, voice like an albatross." It only became worse as it did not go away, distressing and worrying Willow. She did not want Oz to know she was jealous so she didn't tell him, instead, acting out advances on him. Oz was not into it, feeling too distant and guilty to sleep with her. This only made her more insecure, seeking out advice from both Xander and Buffy. Soon, she discovered a naked Oz and Veruca in his cage. Willow was horrified and angry, lashing out at Oz for it. In a state of extreme pain and vengeance, she prepared to perform a dark magic spell on Oz and Veruca to make sure neither of them would ever know love again. Despite coming very close, she couldn't bring herself to carry it out. Veruca interrupted and attempted to kill Willow, only for Oz to show up and save her, killing Veruca instead. Oz came to the decision that he had to leave Sunnydale to find himself between animal and human, believing he shouldn't be around her. In tears, she tried to convince him to stay and they confessed their love to each other before Oz departed Sunnydale, Willow heart-broken and despairing. She was thrown into complete depression months after Oz left. Unable to tolerate the pain anymore, Willow resorted to magic to make the pain go away. However, the spell backfired and ended up affecting her the Scooby Gang (Giles went blind, Buffy became engaged to Spike, and Xander was a literal demon magnet). When Oz returned to Sunnydale months later hoping for a reconciliation, Willow had already grown strong romantic feelings for Tara. She had been readying herself to reject him until Oz had shown her he had a supposed cure for his lycanthropy and they had spent the whole night just talking to each other over their adventures, refreshing Willow's feelings from how their relationship has been before. Willow was confused and distraught, not sure anymore what Oz meant to her since Tara had stepped into her life. After Oz was freed from the Initiative's hold, Willow was pained and regretful at Oz's departure. Yet she had assured him she was happy now with Tara and her life was getting better. While her heart laid with Tara, her feelings for Oz had remained strong, and she genuinely told him, "I feel like some part of me will always be waiting for you." When Willow and Oz met again, he had a wife and a son, which Willow said she was fine with, but Oz sensed her unease and asked if he was right at thinking they were "not okay." Willow assured him that they were, and explained she was upset at him being able to have a normal life and apologized to him for being jealous and hateful. Oz assured her she too could have a normal life and comforted her; she teared up when Oz trusted her with watching his baby. In the following year, when Willow consumed memory water, Oz featured prominently in visions of "things most important."

• Vampire Willow — Willow's vampire alter-ego was the first hint that Willow's sexual orientation may be something other than heterosexual. The vampire expressed an attraction for her, which Willow found somewhat disturbing, asking, "Would that mean we have to snuggle?" However, in a fight with her, she stated she would rather snuggle than fight. Willow had also stopped Buffy from staking her counterpart, taking pity on her. So instead, they decided to send Vampire Willow to her own world only for her to get immediately staked once there.

Willow and Tara.

• Tara Maclay — Willow met Tara when the Gentlemen had invaded Sunnydale. Tara had immediately noticed she was a real witch in their Wicca group, complimenting her by being very powerful. Glad to find someone who was into witchcraft just like her and was not an amateur, the two quickly bonded and became friends. They frequently executed spells together and connected through their witch status. Willow started meeting with Tara in secret to perform magic, not telling her friends at all. When Tara asked if they could hang out sometime, Willow guiltily refused since she had promised Buffy they would have a Scoobies only hang out. When Buffy brought Riley and his friends with her, Willow was bothered by this and noted she could've had Tara come. Shortly afterward, Willow admitted to Tara that she had been putting off her meeting her friends because she felt she would be overwhelmed by it, but most importantly she wanted to keep something that was "hers"; Tara would earnestly reassure her she was. Their relationship is even more overtly confirmed to be romantic when Faith (an outsider of the Scoobies) identified the lesbian undertones immediately, saying that Willow wasn't "driving stick anymore." As the two witches grew closer, the return of Oz strained and complicated things. Willow was sure her affections were for Tara now and she had been meaning to tell him but was halted when Oz told her he had found a supposed cure for his lycanthropy. Her feelings for Oz were revived, confusing and distressing Willow. In a painful conversation with her, Willow admitted that Oz had been everything she had ever wanted, but since she met Tara her life was happier, healing the hole he had left. Crying, Tara hugged her tightly and tried to comfort her. Despite her still-strong feelings for Oz, Willow ultimately realized that Tara was the one she truly loved and wanted to be with at that point in her life. Tara was selflessly prepared for Willow to reject her, wanting her to be happy with the one she loved. Willow smiled and replied, "I am." They started an official relationship. When Tara confessed her outsider feeling from the Scooby Gang (along with Dawn), Willow vehemently denied it. She hugged her and lovingly told Tara that no matter what she said, she was one of them. When Tara's strained relationship with her family because of her witch side became apparent, Willow would reassure Tara that everything she went through just made her love her more. Willow and Tara would share a dance on her birthday, levitating off the ground together through their magical connection. Following Joyce's unexpected death, Willow was greatly emotional over what outfit she should wear to her funeral and proceeded to criticize some of her more childish clothes. Tara immediately comforted her and they shared their first known kiss. Eventually, Willow was shocked to learn that Tara found her power frightening and worried on some level that she would use that magic for the wrong purposes. She was especially hurt when she realized Tara worried that Willow would leave her for a man. Feeling like Tara did not trust her, an angry and hurt Willow left to be alone. When she was brain-sucked by Glory, however, Willow was devastated and felt like it was her fault. Enraged beyond reason, Willow delved into dark magics and recklessly attacked Glory even though Buffy told her not to. She managed to land a blow on her but was in the end beaten. Afterward, she took care of her despite Tara's insanity and simply said she was everything to her. Willow managed to restore Tara's sanity by transferring it to Glory, briefly disorienting the god. She was immensely happy of this and hugged her, telling Tara she would always find her. After Buffy's death, both her and Tara served as surrogate parents to Dawn and even moved in her house. Tara briefly left Willow because of her inappropriate use of magic to erase part of Tara's memory, but they soon got back together just in time for Tara's shocking death. Tara's death hit Willow so bad that she lost all sense of morality and vengefully gave into dark magic and skinned Tara's murderer, Warren, alive. However, Willow later admitted that after Buffy died and she resurrected her, she felt that she chose Buffy over her love, which caused her death.

• Dracula — Willow described the infamous vampire as "sexy," to Tara's surprise and mild jealousy.

• R.J. Brooks — Under a love spell along with Buffy, Dawn, and Anya, Willow became obsessed with this male high school student, despite his "physical presence." When Anya pointed out that "his physical presence has a penis," Willow insisted that she could "work around it," invoking the goddess Hecate to transform him into a woman. Xander and Spike intervened before she succeeded, and the love spell was soon lifted.

Willow and Kennedy.

• Kennedy — Willow continued her recovery from Tara's death as she embarked on a relationship with this Potential Slayer. Though reluctant at first because she believed giving in to her desire for Kennedy would cause her to forget Tara, Kennedy helped her to move on from Tara's death and also became her anchor whenever she performed powerful magic. After the battle at the Hellmouth, Andrew stated that Kennedy and Willow were living together in South America. Following Kennedy's month-long mystical death, they decided to take things slowly but broke up after the destruction of the Seed of Wonder. Due to the end of magic, Willow was without her abilities and came to the conclusion that Kennedy was mainly interested in her because of her powers and felt that her skill with computers didn't "do it" for Kennedy. During the same conversation with Buffy, Willow also stated that she was in love with someone else and that it was someone she would never see again. Kennedy, despite being hurt and bitter when Willow broke up with her, later reflected that Willow breaking up with her is the best thing that ever happened to her, as it forced her to realize that she found her life's purpose in Deepscan.

• Winifred Burkle — Though not technically a romantic relationship, Willow somewhat slyly inquired as to what is Fred's "story" to Wesley, indicating a possible interest on Willow's part and earning her a surprised look of pondering from Wesley. Additionally, Willow understood Fred's excitement at seeing her and her eagerness to spend time with her for attraction, telling her that she was already seeing someone.

Willow and her mentor/lover Aluwyn.

• Aluwyn — Willow first met Aluwyn when she arrived in the spirit world to look for a guide to help her control her powers. On their first meeting, Aluwyn told Willow that she was her guide and that she would help her better control the power that dwelled within her; however, Willow quickly learned that Aluwyn was not her guide and another goddess appeared and told Aluwyn to leave Willow alone. With Aluwyn gone, the other goddess offered Willow to have Tara be her guide on her journey toward improving her understanding of her powers. However, Willow surmised this would either be robbing Tara of her afterlife or an illusion and instead chose Aluwyn. At some point during Willow's training, the two began an affair and even began to sleep together. When Buffy smashed the Seed of Wonder, Willow broke up with Kennedy because she realized she was in love with someone else; Aluwyn was heavily hinted to be the unnamed person. Eventually, Willow finally came across her mentor in another dimension by chance while trying to return magic to her world. She was very shocked and happy, immediately kissing Aluwyn passionately after being apart for so long. Aluwyn decided to help her with bringing magic back, informing her of helpful facts along the way. However, while Willow does trust Aluwyn she was still aware of the fact that she is a trickster, even introducing Aluwyn to Marrak as "the lying, deceitful, sexy snake." Willow and Aluwyn rekindled their close relationship, even fighting together against a monster. Aluwyn retained deeply strong feelings for Willow and the two slept together again. When Aluwyn confessed her true intentions and that she had all along planned for Willow to stay with her by distracting her from her mission, she was disappointed but nonetheless forgive Aluwyn because she knew she did it out of love. Willow, however, rejected staying with her since she could not live with her friends and the world being in danger because of the loss of magic. She also admitted that Aluwyn was one of the people she loved and that being with her made her feel powerful, which scared Willow. Her resolve unwavering, Aluwyn was remorseful for her manipulations and encouraged her to save her friends. The two shared a moment and hugged. In a conversation with Marrak, Willow would show the seriousness of her mission by pointing out she gave up being with her.

• Aura — After moving to San Francisco, Willow began dating this woman. At Buffy's housewarming party, Willow seemed to avoid her, much to Aura's annoyance. While helping Buffy with her confusing slayer dreams, she would later mention her again, warning her to not tell Aura about their "slumber party."

• Lake Stevens — While working together, Willow and Lake had a brief relationship, until their moral perspectives on the military became irreconcilable. They continued meeting each other due to the nature of both woman's jobs, still demonstrating resentment for each other.

• Calliope Strachan — a Wicca student in one of Willow's covens, they had a mutual attraction even though Calliope was already in a relationship with Linda Martin. When both witches were taken to the Safe Zone, Calliope kissed Willow twice, who both times rejected her because of her girlfriend, so Calliope promised to break up with Linda to be with her. After they were freed, she was reunited with Linda and returned to her previous normalcy, even missing the meetings when their coven was resumed. Willow said she didn't blame her, reasoning that "this life isn't for everyone."

• Other — In high school, Willow professed admiration for Owen Thurman Daryl Epps, and the college students from Delta Zeta Kappa fraternity. She appreciated the beauty of the robot April, and leered at a racily dressed Dawn dancing at the Bronze before realizing who she was. Whilst playing "anywhere but here" with Buffy in high school, she chose actor John Cusack as her fantasy and, years later, the TV comedienne and actress Tina Fey.

Friendships

• Jesse McNally — Before Buffy's arrival in Sunnydale, Xander, Willow, and Jesse were best friends united in their status as social outcasts. Unlike with Xander and Willow, there was no suggestion of any romantic undertones between Jesse and Willow, and the two were simply good friends. Willow expressed distress when Jesse was brought into the same mausoleum she was lured to; although she was scared herself, she still tried to comfort Jesse and check his wounds. Darla's bite left him feeling weak and faint, so Willow and Xander helped him to escape by holding him up while they ran.

Willow and Xander.

• Alexander Harris — Willow "dated" Xander when they were five until he stole her Barbie which was when they "broke up." She maintained a hopeless, unrequited crush on her lifelong friend up to high school. Willow was often forced to give Xander advice on Buffy, who he had feelings for but she never voiced her discomfort. Willow later said that this was because she knew Xander never had a chance with Buffy. She did, however, reject his offer to go to prom with her, as she didn't want to be his rebound after Buffy rejected him, but then reconsidered and called him, only for Xander to ignore her after suffering two rejections on the same day. Willow and Xander shared a brief moment of tenderness but were interrupted by Buffy's return to Sunnydale after being gone all summer. Xander then became focused on Buffy again and did not pursue anything with Willow, much to Willow's disappointment. Willow then dated guitar player Oz, whom Xander appeared to be jealous and suspicious of, despite being romantically involved with Cordelia. In their senior year, Willow and Xander started an affair, cheating on their respective others. Willow was consumed with guilt over her actions, even attempting a "de-lusting" spell for her actions with Xander, only to be stopped by him. However, their affair was accidentally revealed to Oz and Cordelia, and Willow permanently ended her secret romantic liaisons with Xander, too guilty of hurting Oz and wanting to win his trust back as well as Cordelia's. Interestingly enough, Willow's vampire alter-ego had a romantic relationship with the alternative Xander, after both were turned into vampires. Nevertheless, despite her goal to repair her relationship with Oz, Willow was shown to visibly hurt upon realizing Xander had slept with Faith, even crying alone in the bathroom. While having another intervention with Buffy's actions, Willow would openly express her dislike of Anya and his relationship with her, noticing how he was always with her. However, the two-sided together against Buffy and simultaneously targeted her superiority towards them as well as her view that they couldn't help her defeat Adam, endangering herself instead by wanting to go alone. Willow's dislike of Anya reached the point they were frequently arguing, causing Xander to be put in the middle. Willow had expressed her distrust of Anya and believed that she would someday end up wreaking vengeance on him, while Anya thought she would hurt him with her magic. Both fervently denied this and reached a strained peace with each other through their care for Xander and the role they both played in his life. When Anya accused her of being a possible threat to her relationship with Xander because she had once ended his relationship with Cordelia, Willow responded in the negative, claiming "Hello? Gay now." Willow would be frustrated when he broke into a fight with Spike and physically separated them with her magic, firmly ordering them to work together while Buffy was catatonic. When Xander claimed smart was hot, Willow pointedly noted: "You couldn't have figured that out in 10th grade?" Xander and Willow had a brief conflict over resurrecting Buffy, Willow believing that it was the right thing to do while Xander was more cautious with it. When he criticized the level of danger she had put both herself and Buffy in by such a dark ritual, Willow easily brushed off his concerns. On Xander's wedding day to Anya, Willow had teasingly said that he was lucky she realized she was gay as he looked very good in a tux, referring to the time they had kissed while both were wearing formal wear. Later, it was revealed that Willow had written angst-filled love poems over her unrequited crush on Xander but when informed of this by him later in life, Willow had politely pointed out: "I'm over you, sweetie." Willow also has been seen reminiscing on how attractive she thought Xander was during her teen years before she knew she was a lesbian. Ultimately, though the two of them were not in love, they did have a great deal of love towards each other; so much so that Xander was able to revert her dark persona back to her old self by repeatedly pointing out that he loved "crayon-breaky Willow" just as much as "dark, veiny Willow," saving the world just by declaring his unconditional love for her.

Buffy and Willow maintain strong friendship ties.

• Buffy Summers — On her first day at Sunnydale High School, Buffy expressed sympathy towards Willow being a loner and school outcast, especially after being cruelly bullied by Cordelia. She had immediately tried to be friends with her, even giving her advice on dating, which surprised Willow, as she was very unpopular at the time. Because of this as well as her saving her from vampires, Willow and Buffy began to bond. They became best friends, even sisterly, and risked their lives for the other on numerous occasions throughout the years. When Willow stumbled on magics to re-ensoul Angel, she had heartily gone along with it, wanting to bring Angel back for her. When Willow realized that Angel had returned from Hell and Buffy was taking care of him, she was not judgmental and angry like the others, seemingly only concerned about Buffy's well-fare. Willow was also there for Buffy after Angel left her, feeling angry at him for hurting her like this, despite believing he did the right thing in leaving her. Both enrolled in UC Sunnydale, eventually becoming roommates, Buffy expressed great sympathy towards Willow after Oz left her, likening it to what she went through with Angel and stood by her in her time of need, encouraging her and comforting her. Willow also displayed great protectiveness over Buffy when realizing that Riley carried interest in her, giving him advice but also warning him that if he emotionally hurt her, "she would beat him to death with a shovel." However, Willow and Buffy began to grow apart. Willow didn't agree with Buffy's quick acceptance of the Initiative, and was jealous and left out since Buffy's time was completely monopolized. Willow would again note her distance with Buffy to Tara, lamenting that both of them had been so busy with their relationships to nurture their friendship. Spike would then lie to Willow, claiming that Buffy saw her relationship with Tara and involvement in Wicca affairs as "a phase." Hurt and disappointed, she would eventually lash out at Buffy when she ordered them to not help her against Adam. Willow bluntly said their friendship had been strained since she realized she was a lesbian, and mistook her concern as reckless superiority and seeing them as too useless to help her. Buffy denied her accusations but coldly said she figured out why slayers didn't usually have friends before walking out on the group. Unsettled by how easily Spike had broken them apart, Buffy apologized to Willow and her other friends, promising to "never not talk again." Willow also told her that she was sorry for keeping her relationship with Tara a secret from Buffy and everyone else, making peace with each other. After Buffy's break-up with Riley, Willow was one of the most sympathetic and sought to make her feel better. When Giles had taken a brief trip to England for three days, she stole some of the Magic Box items for a spell that would create a "ball of sunshine" that would help Buffy slay vampires. However, her spell backfired partly due to the interference of Anya, and instead brought back the troll Olaf. Assuming Buffy was sleeping with Spike due to Xander seeing the Buffybot, Willow reacted in confusion and tried her best to sympathize. Believing she was Buffy, Willow told the Buffybot she would always be her best friend and tried to excuse her sexual relationship with him because of vulnerability. However, Willow responded badly to the Buffybot's blunt remarks over her sexual interactions with Spike and was immensely relieved it wasn't really Buffy afterward. After Buffy was overcome with guilt and went catatonic due to Dawn's capture from Glory, Willow used a spell to enter her mind and bring her back. She witnessed Buffy's guilt in a mind loop and she shared with Willow her shame of giving up for one second and just wanting it all over. Willow strongly disagreed, insisting that it was only natural for her to give up briefly with her life being the way it was, but nonetheless said she was needed and Dawn could be saved. Once she returned to herself, Willow immediately hugged Buffy when she cried in front of her. When Buffy died a second time, Willow was heavily affected and began almost hyperventilating at the sight of her body. She resolved to resurrect her, later admitting that she had never considered any other option. Willow was the most determined to bring Buffy back to life out of any of her friends, convincing herself that Buffy was put in a hell dimension and that she could not leave her there. However, it's unknown whether she truly believed this or was simply trying to justify her resurrection. Willow performed advanced and dark magics, reaching an extreme level of devastation when it seemed Buffy was still dead. Her efforts were successful and Buffy was resurrected. She was initially overjoyed at this, but began to worry over Buffy's state of mind, due to her emotionless and closed off personality she had developed following her resurrection. This concern had them developed into newfound guilt upon the discovery that she had ripped Buffy out of Heaven, not Hell. Buffy had originally kept this a secret from all except Spike, not wanting to burden them with guilt despite a part of her resenting Willow and her other friends. After the destruction of Sunnydale, Willow went out of her way to keep her then-girlfriend Kennedy away from Buffy because she believed that, had she not chosen to bring Buffy back to life, Tara would never have died. Nonetheless, when reminiscing about Buffy's resurrection with Angel five years later, Willow admitted that, despite all the suffering it caused for everyone, she had never, not even for a second, regretted bringing Buffy back though sadly doubted that Buffy would feel the same. When told by Tara that Buffy was sleeping with Spike, Willow expressed no anger; just confusion and concern, unlike Xander. Soon after, when Tara was murdered and Willow turned dark, she was scornful and mocking towards Buffy, even resulting in a full-out fight between them. Once Xander had stopped her from destroying the world, Buffy, in the end, forgave a guilt-ridden Willow and renewed their friendship with continued support and faith from her. Buffy had also freely admitted Willow to be one of the strongest people she knows and she had helped Buffy create Slayers all throughout the world by putting magic through the Scythe. A year and a half after the destruction of Sunnydale, their bond becomes so close that Willow is able to share some of her power with Buffy. Despite Buffy's lesbian experience, both women insisted they were not attracted to each other although out of curiosity, Willow had asked Satsu what Buffy was like in bed. This did not prevent Kennedy from becoming suspicious when she saw the duo hug after Buffy's trip to the future; ironically, in the possible future, Buffy was the one to finally end Willow's life. Following the end of magic, Willow expressed her disapproval that Buffy destroyed the seed, believing that the world is dying without magic. Because of this as well as Buffy's initially flippant attitude of Willow's worries, they grew apart a little. However, in the end, Willow admitted she was never angry towards Buffy for the loss of magic and they made up, Buffy promising to bring magic back to the world. After giving her friend some help with her slayer dreams, Willow realized that she had to leave San Francisco to return magic to the world. She plunged herself into Buffy's dream and assured her that she would be back, but for now, she had to finish her "mission." Before she awoke, Willow left a note telling Buffy that she loved her and that saying goodbye twice would be too painful, much to her best friend's disappointment. After restoring herself with magic (albeit limited) a few months later, she returned to San Francisco. She had easily healed a small scar on Buffy's forehead and two tearfully hugged each other. After stabilizing a very sick Dawn, Willow came to a complete resolution with her best friend. She promised her that she had lost any form of grudge or resentment towards Buffy and that if it wasn't for her, she would've never realized that she had no need to be afraid of her power any longer. Buffy also admitted her grievances for the Twilight events that had happened last year, regretfully acknowledging that was partly responsible for it since she had not asked enough questions over what she was actually doing. When Buffy and Willow made their way down the Deeper Well. Buffy told Willow about her sadness from being left alone by her best friend during the times she needed her the most, but, since Willow discovered that the Deeper Well could be the key to restoring magic not only to Dawn but to the world, she assured her that she wouldn't let her down this time and that Buffy must trust her. After restoring magic, Buffy reflected on how concerned she was of her best friend, who was still trying to understand how much magic has changed since it was brought back. Later, during a mission to capture a new vampire to study, Buffy and Willow bonded over what they had to give up to accomplish their goals.

• Cordelia Chase — Cordelia was a bully to both Xander and Willow, which caused them to form the "We Hate Cordelia Club." This mutual hatred continued until Cordelia reluctantly began working with the Scooby Gang against various threats. While Willow often took Cordelia's criticism passively, she displayed great disgust, hurt, and anger at her relationship with Xander. Willow once claimed Xander's phone number was "1-800-I'm-Dating-A-Skanky-Ho," but she soon warmed up to Cordelia and developed an odd friendship,; they confided in their relationship problems and hung out a lot more often, which slightly unnerved Xander. When she had first kissed Xander and cheated on Oz, she was overwhelmed with guilt and felt terrible for doing that to Cordelia. She had, in fact, felt so bad, during Homecoming, she had originally decided to help her with creating a database, only to betray her five minutes later to help Buffy. When Buffy and Cordelia were at odds, Willow had agreed to put them together in a limousine to sort out their problems. After Willow and Xander were caught having an affair, Cordelia reverted to her former bully persona and was cruel toward Willow and the Scoobies once again. Willow felt extremely guilty over her involvement in the affair and graciously accepted Cordelia's bitter snark, believing it to be entirely deserved. Ironically, Cordelia seemed to get some closure over the tryst, while discussing her feelings with Willow's vampire counterpart (whom she believed was actually the real one). While Cordelia continued to spit snide remarks and insults to the Scooby Gang, Willow remained uncaring and entirely sympathetic, even giving Xander a mild scolding for always trading barbs with her, insisting he should "find a different nature." Eventually, Cordelia and Willow made amends and the two remained in touch after Cordelia left for Los Angeles. Willow also expressed amusement at Cordelia working for Angel Investigations, seeing it as comical and ironic. Willow seemed to be the only one Cordelia actually kept in constant contact with. While busy decrypting files on Adam with Tara, she had received a call from Cordelia and gave her advice on how to break into her own files for an "hour and forty-five minutes." After Harmony arrived in Los Angeles, Cordelia phoned Willow and expressed her displeasure that none of the Scooby Gang had told her what happened to her (having assumed she was a lesbian). Willow was confused and showed concern for her about how dangerous Harmony was as well as slightly annoyed with Cordelia's misunderstanding about her. She would also reveal to her that she was gay in that conversation, and Cordelia awkwardly expressed her approval. When she went to Los Angeles to re-ensoul Angel, Willow reunited with Cordelia and greeted her as an old friend, though, unbeknownst to her, Cordelia had been possessed at the time and tried to kill her.

• Riley Finn — Willow, along with Buffy, met Riley on the first day of college. They were friendly to each other and quickly were able to relate over their love of courses and school. Ironically, Riley conversed more with Willow than he did with Buffy. They later interacted again when she had impulsively walked in front of a car in a fit of distress and pain after discovering Oz's infidelity with Veruca. Riley had saved her life and gave her an unsuccessful pep talk about not hurting herself, whatever happened. Still reeling from the aftermath of Oz's departure and falling into a depression, Willow showed rudeness and distrust when Riley asked her for help to get to know Buffy (who he recently realized he had a crush on her). She projected to him her hurt and bitterness over relationships combined with her protectiveness of her friend, cynically saying one of them always left, leaving the other person a "hollow mockery of the human condition." Nonetheless, Riley was respectful and admired her protectiveness of her friend. Willow's resolve and grudging attitude toward him faltered a little, and she agreed to give him tips on how to ask out Buffy. While she decided to help him, she was still unsure. She had bluntly threatened him by beating him with a shovel if he hurt Buffy in any way, greatly surprising him.

• Anya Jenkins — Willow originally met Anya in her Senior year, after she had reverted back to her human form. Feeling unappreciated and dull, she had agreed to help Anya with a spell to help her retrieve her necklace. However, Willow quickly became startled by the level of dark magic they were using and backed out, clearly disapproving her methods. When told by Xander that he was taking Anya to the prom, she warned him to watch out for her and don't blame her if she got to say, "I told you so," clearly distrusting of her. When mentioned by the others, she just stated that Anya should avoid crossing her again. She also showed brief annoyance that the "evil girl" had shown up but quickly got over it, realizing that Anya was giving information on the Ascension. Willow's dislike of Anya was eventually brought up again in an argument with Xander, expressing her distaste that she was always with him. Her dislike for Anya continued, bringing them into direct conflict with Xander. She hated Anya's abrupt speech and insisted she learns tact and actually acts human. She also mocked her obsession with money, stating she was more fond of money than she was of people. Willow also appeared to harbor distrust towards her out of concern for Xander, not wanting him to end up on the end of her vengeance. Willow had also seriously stated to her: "Anya, I have faith in you. There is no one you can't piss off." They reached a strained peace with each other once they accepted the different but important roles they had in Xander's life and realized how much they both cared for him. However, Willow responded negatively when Anya bluntly questioned what they would do with Joyce's body out of pure curiosity. Willow's attitude towards Anya softened considerably over time, even asking her to watch over an insane Tara while she entered Buffy's mind. After her rehabilitation from dark magic, Willow sought out Anya's help to stop a demon as the other Scoobies could see her. When Anyanka was threatened to be killed by Buffy, Willow who calls D'Hoffryn to find a way to save her. Still, Willow jokingly offered to kill Anya to provide Spike with blood after his ensoulment.

Spike comforting himself on Willow.

• Spike — Willow and Spike have maintained a friendly relationship over the years. Willow's kind, trusting nature immediately caused her to sympathize with his heartache; she comforted him about his breakup with Drusilla and agreed to perform a love spell for him, even though he had kidnapped and briefly threatened her. When Spike was implanted with his chip he immediately attempted to bite Willow but found that he was unable to harm her. She tried to sympathize with him by stating that she wasn't the type of girl vampires would usually want to bite, but he admitted to her that he "would bite her in a heartbeat," suggesting that he thought her attractive enough to kill or sire. Although she retaliated by hitting him over the head with a lamp, she nonetheless seemed flattered. When Spike attempted to commit suicide by leaping onto a stake, she seemed upset and declared to Xander: "It's okay! We know him! We can't just let him poof himself!" Like the others, Willow was disturbed by Spike's obsession with Buffy and took part in ostracizing him from the Scooby Gang. Still, she never showed any true dislike for him, and recognized the sincerity of his gesture to bring a bouquet of flowers as a sign of respect for Joyce after her death. Spike empathized with Willow's vengeful feelings toward Glory for brain-sucking Tara, and admitted that if she had done that to someone he loved, he would have done the same. Willow was, however, annoyed when Spike and Xander antagonized each other while Buffy was catatonic, angrily ordering the two to work together and help find Dawn. Following Buffy's sacrifice, Spike worked tirelessly with Willow and Tara to take care of Dawn, Buffy's younger sister. He also defended her against Anya, who had been pressuring Willow into doing a spell during a recovery when they were trapped inside Buffy's house on her 21st Birthday. Following his attempted rape on Buffy, their relationship suffered, although she turned to him for help upon his return. Willow also appeared to forgive him for his actions, as she trusted him after his chip was removed. Almost two years later, Willow traveled to Las Vegas to help Spike out when he was having difficulties which included his soul and Drusilla. Though Willow was considerably irked at the prospect of having Drusilla around when she came to help Spike, she still did her part in aiding her friend. Willow and Spike were shown to have established a strong friendship, Spike even calling her by her nickname "Will," and making her promise not to tell Buffy about her visit.

• Satsu — Willow and Satsu seemed to become friends, as after Satsu's one-night stand with Buffy, she expressed sympathy towards her situation. She had given her advice on how Buffy was the "general" and they were "the army. She had gently pointed out to her that Buffy was alone and vulnerable so she had reason to believe that both of them took advantage of each other. She did not want her to have hurt feelings and later referred to Buffy that "she had to take care of her girls." Willow had also curiously asked her how Buffy was in bed, in an effort to cheer her up.

• Faith Lehane — When Faith first arrived in Sunnydale, Willow was not fond of her for many reasons. One reason was that Buffy initially spent more time with Faith than with herself, causing Willow to feel left out of the "Slayer's Only" attitude Buffy has been projecting. After Xander had slept with Faith, she was visibly hurt by this realization, and also when she began to go rogue, Willow explicitly asked the other Scoobies why they were trying to help her, stating that since Faith had taken a human life and tried to pin it on Buffy and had also tried to strangle Xander to death, she believed that the smartest thing to do would be to simply turn her over to the police or the Watchers' Council and be done with it. When Willow got kidnapped by the Mayor, she bravely confronted Faith over her actions, stating that she did not have to become this, even going as far to say she was too far gone to be saved. This remark earned a punch from Faith but Willow didn't seem to care, later bragging to Buffy proudly over her words. Willow once called Faith a "cleavagey slut-bomb" and mocked her usage of the phrases "wicked" and "five-by-five." Willow overcame her animosity towards Faith when the two helped re-ensoul Angel and Willow then let her come back to Sunnydale to help with the battle against the First. When Buffy incorrectly told Willow that Faith had tried to kill her again, Willow proceeded to say, "Faith. Never been a fan." However, when Willow contacted Faith and Angel in London, Willow greeted her pleasantly. She even appeared to bond with her when Faith expressed her concerns and fears over what Angel was trying to do with Giles, seemingly then friends. Finishing their journey in Quor'toth, they said their goodbyes. Willow earnestly said that, out of all of them, Faith had grown and matured the most, much to her surprise and gratitude.

Familial

• Sheila Rosenberg — Willow's mother was distant and had little interest in what happened in her daughter's life. Sheila's disinterest was such that she didn't even notice that Willow cut her hair until four months later and that she called Willow's best friend "Bunny." When told that her daughter was a witch, Shelia dismissed it, believing it be a "teen phase" that she read about in books. Willow and Sheila's disconnected relationship continued throughout the years, but it was mentioned that when she realized Willow came out a lesbian in college, she was proud of her, believing her to be making a political statement. Despite this, she had little contact with Willow's girlfriend Tara Maclay and the novelty of her homosexuality soon wore off. After Buffy's mother died, Willow had decided to spend more time with her own mother afterward given how sudden Joyce's demise had been.

• Joyce Summers — Joyce treated all of Buffy's friends as one of her own. She especially seemed to like Willow. Like the rest of the Scoobies, Willow was close to Joyce and bonded with her quite well, even having a better relationship with her than with her own mother. One example includes when Willow received the call about Jenny Calender's death, Joyce holding her as she cried over Buffy who was less affected. Willow was particularly distraught when she passed on, so much so that when Willow was getting dressed to go to the funeral, she constantly worried on what to wear and was shown to be in tears while doing so. She wondered which one Joyce would want her to wear, emotionally criticizing herself until comforted by Tara.

• Rupert Giles — When Willow saw Giles sing at the Espresso Pump, her reaction was "Now I remember why I used to have such a crush on him." There were a handful of hints of this crush in high school: Giles recognized Willow at the Bronze since she was one of the few students that actually enjoyed going to the library, there was a picture of Giles and Willow together, when Buffy thought it was "eww" that Faith thought Giles was sexy and asked who else thought the same, Willow said nothing, but with an impish smile on her face. But Willow's crush on Giles never went anywhere and it altogether evaporated as the series went on. However, Willow had stated multiple times that seeing Giles sing was "kinda sexy" despite her feelings for Tara. When Giles initially decided to return to England, Willow was the first person he told and she promised him she'd kept it a secret until he was ready to tell everyone. Noting his sense of being unnecessary, Willow tried very hard to get him to feel needed, but none of the others were helping the situation. However, Willow had no qualms stealing from the Magic Box while he was away to make Buffy happier, much to Anya's dismay. Normally they shared a mentor–mentee relationship that borders on parental but not to the extent of Buffy and Giles's bond. It was very affectionate, mutually respectful, but occasionally conflicted, especially when Willow was addicted to magic. After Buffy's resurrection, Willow did not understand Giles' anger at defying the laws of nature, believing he should be congratulating her magic skill. After calling her a "rank, arrogant amateur," she openly challenged him by reminding Giles of her power and that it "wasn't a good idea to piss her off." However, Willow quickly became passive again, telling him she did not want to fight and that they should be happy Buffy was back. Giles once said she was "the best of all of them." Willow also, despite her great respect and love towards Giles, disapproved of Angel's efforts to resurrect him, seeing it ending as nothing but disaster. However, after giving him a piece of Giles' soul through the Scythe, she was shocked and excited to see she had actually felt him. Willow then fully supported his resurrection, describing it as "very legit" and "something big." Willow was surprised to see Giles alive again in Santa Rosita, and she gave him a tight hug after the dust had settled.

• Dawn Summers — Despite Buffy's strained relationship with Dawn at times, Willow and girlfriend Tara served as cool older friends to the young teenager despite their angsty turbulence. In contrast to Buffy's harsher approach to her, Willow was involuntarily sympathetic since she was a "big spaz." After the devastating death of Joyce, Willow was extremely sympathetic and had, albeit hesitantly, considered resurrecting her on Dawn's request. While she mostly rejected the idea and reasoned that spells like that usually backfired, Willow magically pulled a book out of the bookshelf that covered resurrection spells for her. After Buffy became overbearing in her effort to be a proper guardian to Dawn, Willow disagreed and sympathized with her, explaining that Buffy would only make her more inclined to rebel. After Buffy had died, both her and Tara raised Dawn and acted as surrogate parents. Willow's sisterly/motherly affection for "Dawnie" continued to the point that even Buffy envied that she saw Willow as a better sister than her. Willow's relationship borders on motherly towards Dawn, as she once said that "Will was like a mom to her." While with Kennedy, Willow revealed that she and Tara considered simply taking Dawn and moving out of Sunnydale to start their own family together.

Antagonistic

• Harmony Kendall — Willow had let Harmony sign her yearbook on the last day at Sunnydale High School, Willow promising that they'd keep in touch. Despite this friendly gesture, Willow soon after revealed she "hates her with a fiery vengeance," the reason being that Harmony had bullied her for 10 years and Willow called her a "tramp." Willow soon after stated that she was only nice to Harmony because she was "missing everything." Willow reunited with Harmony once in college. They at first exchanged pleasantries until Harmony attempted to bite her and drain her, as she was now a vampire. However, she was stopped by the appearance of Oz with a cross, causing her to threaten them with her "new boyfriend" (Spike), who would be very upset with them for doing this to her. Willow soon after mocked this, mentioning that she always lied about stuff like that in high school. She would constantly say "Oh, my boyfriend goes to a different school. You wouldn't know him." She further antagonized the Scoobies by being the spearhead for the new vampire craze with her reality show. It also Willow who inform Cordelia on Harmony's vampire status, describing her as a dangerous vampire. When Harmony comes to San Francisco to propose new magic laws for the Vampyr book, Willow was clearly bored to see her.

• Rack — Rack was a warlock who became Willow's black magic dealer after being introduced to her by Amy. Rack often referred to her "taste" as being "like strawberries." Eventually, corrupted with dark magic, Willow attacked Rack and stole his power and life force, leaving him comatose. Years later, Rack encountered Willow in another dimension under the guise of Marrak and helped her find magic. Willow eventually discovered his identity, and Rack vowed to steal her magic away and reclaim magic for his own personal use and distribution. In their magical duel, they saw themselves inside a mystical embodiment of the universe, where its antibodies attacked and "removed" Rack for causing it harm.

• Amy Madison — Amy and Willow were friends from junior high through high school. After Amy accidentally transformed herself into a rat, Willow kept her as a pet until she was able to turn Amy back into a human. The two become closer and bonded over their addiction to magic; however, Willow ended their friendship ended when Amy did not accept Willow's attempt to be sober. Amy started a romantic relationship with Willow's enemy Warren, whom she had kept alive mystically since resurrecting him after Willow skinned him alive. Amy then put a Penance Malediction hex on her, causing Willow to temporarily transform into Warren. Amy helped Warren capture Willow, engaging Amy in an airborne magic duel. Amy and Willow upheld a rivalry throughout that year; Amy was in service to Twilight until the Earth was endangered, and she was forced to help Willow fend off the oncoming demons, when Willow protected Amy from them. Amy then escaped the battle, leaving the Scoobies to fend for themselves, though she expressed concern about their well-being and the notion of possibly seeking retribution like Andrew received. While living in the Magic Town, Amy unsuccessfully attempted to provoke Angel into bringing Willow to confront her and get her revenge.

• Warren Mears — Warren incurs Willow's wrath when he accidentally shot Tara while aiming for Buffy. Consumed by grief and black magic, Willow tracked him down, tortured him, and eventually flayed him alive. However, unbeknownst to Willow, Warren was reanimated by Amy and plotted revenge on the woman who had killed him. He was able to capture Willow and lobotomize her until Buffy rescued her.

• Kumiko Ishihara — The vampiric witch went after Willow when her pack attacked the Slayer Organization command center. In Tokyo, she revealed to be also a student of Aluwyn and personally targeted Willow during the confrontation between the Slayer Organization and Toru's sect.

Other

• Angel — Angel shared affection and confidence with Willow. Willow also restored Angel's soul on two separate occasions. On several occasions, he asked for her help, looking at her as a reliable ally and friend. During his initial time in Sunnydale, after Buffy, Willow was probably Angel's closest friend in the Scooby Gang, as he only socialized with the two of them outside of combat situations, although, as with all the team, his relationship with her was somewhat strained after he came back from Hell. She had also been the one to tend to Angel, along with Oz, when he was delirious with poison after Faith struck him with an arrow. Willow continued to treat Angel in a friendly way, easily accepting his decision to keep his brief presence in Sunnydale a secret from Buffy in an attempt to protect her, and immediately calling him out of concern for Cordelia when she was with Harmony. When Buffy died, Willow was the one who made the trip to Los Angeles to inform Angel personally of what happened to her. They hugged as old friends after Willow re-ensouled him for a second time. After Angel was discovered to be the masked Twilight, her attitude toward him changed to open hostility, to the extent that, while fighting the invading demons, Willow momentarily turned him into a frog. After Giles' death, Faith stated that the entire Scooby Gang, aside from Buffy, wanted "Angel's head on a pike." During her quest to restore Earth's magic, Willow traveled to London, where Angel was currently based with Faith, and after criticizing him for thinking that his plans to resurrect Giles would end in anything but disaster, reluctantly decided to help him because she herself needed their help. Angel had then criticized her desire to involve Connor, which caused her to smack him. She blamed him for everything that had gone wrong lately but when she burst into tears out of emotion, Angel tried to comfort her, agreeing to let Connor chose, much to Willow's gratitude. It seemed that throughout their adventure in Quor'toth, Willow slightly repaired her relationship with Angel. Being on the verge of "going dark" again, Willow admitted she did trust Angel despite his actions as Twilight but did not trust herself. Angel eventually aided her in returning to her former self by biting her, reversing the effects of the magic. When he himself began to lose control, Willow was there for him in return. She reminded him that she trusted him and that he could fight it. After regaining control, Willow and Angel suddenly hugged each other in gratitude. She expressed understanding of his mindset of Twilight and that sometimes there were no good options, but firmly reminded him that did not excuse what he did and he still should've known better. Willow seriously admitted to him that she didn't think she could truly forgive him, but she could no longer hate him either. True to her word, she gave him part of Giles' soul through the scythe and departed. Afterward, Willow reflected on all the events lately and her working with Angel, seemingly genuinely sympathetic, noting that everyone, including her and Angel, was still just picking up the pieces. During her time in another dimension, Angel was listed as one of the people she promised to save by bringing magic back, and stated to Rack that she forgave Angel, making it easier for her to control her dark side.

• Snyder — Unlike most students, Willow was actually in good terms with Principal Snyder due to her high academic performance, representing the pinnacle of academic achievement "despite her unsavory associations." Snyder himself said Willow was a team player when she agreed to continue teaching Jenny Calendar's computer class, something he liked. Snyder did, however, bully Willow into doing things that she wouldn't like but would benefit the school's reputation, such as making her unfairly pass a failing Gage Petronzi and tutor the lazy, held back Percy West. Even though Snyder never said anything that could be interpreted as a threat, Willow knew he meant something due to the look of his eyes and nostrils.

• Wesley Wyndam-Pryce — As a Watcher in Sunnydale, Wesley wasn't willing to exchange the Box of Gavrok with the Mayor for Willow. When meeting in L.A., Willow described his different appearance: "Oh, and it's the Marlboro Man. Or at least his extra stubbly, mentally unstable, insomniac, first cousin of — for the love of Hecate, somebody stop me." While preparing to re-ensoul Angelus, Willow and Wesley shared a brief conversation about how much they changed. Wesley claimed his fall into darkness was one she wouldn't of understood before Willow told him about the time she flayed a man alive and nearly destroyed the world which Wesley fell short and admitted it couldn't compare to the time he kept a woman locked in his closet, though Willow responded: "No, dark. That's dark. You've been to a place."

• Connor — Willow met Connor when journeying to Los Angeles to ensoul Angelus, who had recently been let loose. She showed no surprise at seeing Angel had a son (already told over the phone) and when introduced, quipped "So the sneer's genetic? Who knew." However, they had briefly been on opposing sides due to Connor's efforts to kill Angel but in the end, he failed. Willow later reunited with Connor as she needed him to help her open a rift to Quor'toth, which he had heartily agreed to. Willow and Connor appeared to have a friendly relationship, as Willow described him as an amazing guy and was visibly shaken that she had to injure him with the Scythe in order for the ritual to work. Willow hugged Connor when they finished their journey in the dimension, thanking him for seeing the problems since the end of magic and reassuring herself that she wasn't crazy. She genuinely told him to be happy and that he deserved it, before leaving to bring magic back.

• Drusilla — Drusilla led an attack that made Willow fall into a coma in 1998. Years later, Spike contacted Willow for help, and the witch was hostile to Drusilla in their reunion, but Spike argued that Dru deserved a second chance like the two of them had. On his request, Willow gave his soul to Dru, but the vampire reacted violently against Willow, and Spike took it back. Willow offered to take Dru with her and committed the vampire to the Mosaic Wellness Center.

• Nadira Kureishi — Nadira and Willow bonded quickly, as she was the one that healed Nadira after her Slayer Organization squad was murdered in the Azores. Nadira had cried in Willow's arms because of everything that had happened. She was equally upset and hugged her, reassuring Nadira that everything would be alright. Willow and Nadira had spent time talking and Willow even seemed to calm Nadira's hostile disposition a little. Afterward, despite how well they got alone, Willow admitted to Faith that she hasn't succeeded in changing her mind about killing Angel, much to Faith's disappointment.