The Best Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Finales, Ranked

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ran for seven seasons, and it has some incredible season finales that often went in directions the viewers never expected. The first season saw Buffy start her journey in Sunnydale, where she met her friends and formed the Scooby Gang. She battled vampires and other monsters throughout the first season, while training under her Watcher, Giles. She also met the vampire with a soul named Angel and eventually had to battle the first Big Bad of the series, the demonic vampire known as The Master. By Season 7, Buffy fought her greatest villain to save Sunnydale and the world before everything in the world of Slayers changed forever.

From the first season’s battle with The Master to the last battle with The First Evil, here is a look at every Buffy the Vampire Slayer season finale, ranked.

7) Season 4 – “Restless”

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 4 was arguably the worst season of the show for several reasons. This was definitely a comedown from the brilliant third season, which ended with Buffy and her friends graduating from high school. However, the road to college was paved with some questionable decisions, and the battle with the Initiative wasn’t as well accepted as others.

This led to Buffy and her friends stopping the Initiative and beating some dangerous monsters along the way. In the season finale, things just felt like the season petered out with little interesting happening. All other season finales saw great battles with the highest of stakes as the season raced to its conclusion. This episode had Buffy meet the First Slayer in a dream, which was cool, but otherwise, it felt anticlimactic, like a great episode but not a season finale.

6) Season 7 – “Chosen”

It is hard for television shows to stick the landing when releasing series finales, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer struggled a little in its last episode. This had to be the biggest battle of them all, as Buffy, the Potentials, and her friends in the Scooby Gang had to fight their deadliest enemy, The First Evil. The Hellmouth was opening, and the battle had casualties.

That was one problem. Anya’s death, which happened with no one really caring, received rightful backlash. At least Spike went out as a hero. Anya’s unceremonious demise was largely thanks to the feeling that the season felt rushed. It also hurt to have the Potentials so important, although that was understandable for the future. However, fans had followed the Scooby Gang since the start, and if they had a bigger role, it might have felt a little better.

5) Season 6 – “Grave”

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 6 was a tough one to watch, but that made it so good. This was the season that saw Willow become the Big Bad, as she gave in to her dark side after the Trio murdered the woman she loved. Evil Willow was a great character, and she seemed incredibly dangerous, especially as her friends wanted to save her and not defeat her.

There are some people who might have dismissed this season finale because Willow had only been a villain for three episodes, and the primary season’s villains, The Trio, were out of the way by this time. It also didn’t involve Buffy saving the day, as it was Xander who tapped into Willow’s consciousness and saved his friend from herself. Finally, the season had Buffy learning to enjoy life again and show Dawn the life she deserved, but the battle with Willow and the final showdown helped elevate this above a few other season finales.

4) Season 1 – “Prophecy Girl”

The first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was incredible because it hit the road running and had very few bad episodes, as everyone seemed to be locked into their characters, which is unusual for a brand-new series. The season had Buffy settling into her role as the Slayer in Sunnydale, which rested on top of a Hellmouth, which meant she had plenty of monsters to fight along the way.

The season led to her battle with The Master, and it also contained a prophecy that reveals she will have to die, which causes Buffy to quit on the spot. However, this is Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Buffy returns and dies in the fight, which was a shocking moment on a show named after the character. That said, it was temporary because Xander used CPR to revive her. This was an interesting moment, and it led to some exciting scenes, but it was nowhere near as exciting as some of the later season finales.

3) Season 2 – “Becoming (Part 1 & 2)”

The second season saw Buffy the Vampire Slayer hit its stride. While the first season had very few bad episodes and was great from the start, the second season took what worked well in the first and then expanded on it, making Buffy one of the best shows on television, fantasy genre or otherwise. This was also the season that raised the stakes by making Angel evil again and seeing some deaths that actually stuck.

The finale was a two-parter called “Becoming” and saw Buffy trying to close a portal that Angelus had opened to stop the evil from entering this world. This saw Buffy make the ultimate decision when she used the sword to kill Angel to close the portal, but only after his soul returned. The shock on his face as he died made this moment hit hard, and it was proof that Buffy the Vampire Slayer wasn’t messing around with its brilliant season finales.

2) Season 5 – “The Gift”

The Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 5 finale was one that no one could have seen coming, and it made for one of the best finales in the show’s seven-season history. This season saw Dawn arrive out of nowhere, and it turned out she was the “Key,” but turned into a teenage girl who was now Buffy’s sister to protect her from the goddess, Glory. However, a sacrifice was needed at the end.

Dawn knew that she might have to sacrifice herself to keep yet another portal from opening, but Buffy wanted to do the right thing, and she sacrificed herself to save Dawn and the world. This could have been the perfect series finale because, in the end, Buffy stopped the portal from opening, but she died in the process. Unlike the first season, she wasn’t brought back, and she really died. It was emotional, intense, and a perfect finale. The next season undid it and brought back a traumatized Buffy, who had made it to Heaven, only for her friends to force her return.

1) Season 3 – “Graduation Day (Part 1 & 2)”

The best season in Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s history also had the best two-part season finale of the entire series. The third season saw a new Slayer arrive in town, named Faith, and she began an intense rivalry with Buffy. Meanwhile, the Mayor of Sunnydale had been there for eons, and he had big plans to finally open the Hellmouth and let the evil flow out into the world.

The first part of the finale saw Buffy and Faith finally have their climactic battle, where Buffy actually tried to murder Faith, only for the rogue slayer to escape. The second part saw the battle with the Mayor and the battle to stop the Hellmouth from opening. This swas was Buffy the Vampire Slayer at its best, and hte final two episodes showed the series at the heighth of its success.

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