Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of the most influential TV series of the late ’90s and early 2000s. Even 25 years later, it still carries a huge fanbase that has never stopped calling for its reboot. Its popularity isn’t just for the storylines, but its ensemble cast of deeply layered characters that evolved dramatically over time. Whether they were slaying vampires, cracking wise, or battling inner demons — literal and otherwise — these characters left a lasting mark.
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And so, we’re counting down the 10 best characters from the Buffyverse, ranked by impact, development, and fans’ popularity.
10) Xander Harris
He wasn’t the strongest, the smartest, or particularly magical, but Xander Harris was the everyman of the group. From day one, he was there for Buffy, cracking jokes, facing monsters, and holding the line when things got dark. While Xander wasn’t without flaws, especially when looking back with modern eyes. His jealousy, immaturity, and treatment of Anya, for example, remain controversial. But he still earned his spot among the greats.
His speech to a rampaging Dark Willow in season 6, where he saves the world with nothing but love and loyalty, remains one of the most emotional scenes in the show’s history.
Xander is proof that you didn’t need supernatural strength to make a difference. He kept the group grounded, and his humor often defused some of the show’s darkest moments. In a world of slayers, witches, and vampires, Xander reminded us that being human still had its merits.
9) Anya Jenkins
Starting life as a vengeance demon with a thousand years of experience punishing unfaithful men, Anya Jenkins quickly became one of Buffy‘s most unexpectedly lovable characters. Her journey from cold-hearted immortal to awkward, money-obsessed human is packed with both comedy and tragedy. Her struggle to connect with humanity was never played for cheap laughs; it was sincere, complex, and surprisingly poignant.
Anya’s brutally honest observations about human behavior offered some of the show’s funniest moments, but she was also capable of surprising emotional depth—especially in later seasons. Her heartbreak over Xander’s betrayal and her brave final stand in the series finale made her death one of the most painful in the entire show. By the time Buffy ended, Anya had transformed into something she never thought possible: a real hero.
8) Tara Maclay
Tara may have entered the show quietly, but her impact was anything but small. Introduced in season 4 as a shy and gentle witch, Tara quickly became the emotional anchor not only for Willow, but for the entire Scooby Gang. She was also deeply spiritual, grounding both the magical and emotional sides of Willow’s development. Her calm, intuitive nature brought a much-needed balance to a show often defined by chaos and violence. She nurtured, supported, and helped others become their best selves.
Tara’s romantic relationship with Willow was groundbreaking for network television at the time, and her kindness, loyalty, and quiet strength made her an essential part of the show’s heart. In many ways, Tara was the soul of the series. Her death in season 6 was one of the most devastating moments in the entire Buffyverse, and it was the catalyst for one of Willow’s darkest turns.
7) Cordelia Chase
Initially introduced as a mean-girl stereotype, Buffy’s high school nemesis turned reluctant ally, Cordelia Chase underwent one of the most dramatic character arcs in the Buffyverse. Cordelia’s quick wit, bravery, and vulnerability eventually emerged as her defining traits. While she truly blossomed during her time on Angel, her arc in Buffy laid the foundation.
On Buffy, Cordelia often served as comic relief, but she was also the voice of brutal honesty in the group; often saying what others were too afraid to.
Her unwillingness to sugarcoat the truth made her surprisingly insightful, and she never backed down from a fight, even when she probably should have. She grew from being a shallow socialite to someone with real depth. Her decision to fight alongside the Scoobies, even at the cost of her popularity, was a turning point that showed her bravery wasn’t just talk.
6) Willow Rosenberg
Starting out as the shy, nerdy best friend, Willow Rosenberg arguably had the most dramatic evolution across the show. Her journey from introverted tech whiz to powerful witch, and ultimately world-ender, was one of the show’s most compelling arcs. Willow’s relationship with Tara was a groundbreaking moment for queer representation on network TV, and her struggles with power and addiction gave the series some of its most poignant storylines.
By the end, Willow had earned her place as one of the most powerful magic users in the Buffyverse. Her transformation across the seasons took her from unsure and overlooked to a confident woman who wrestled with deep insecurities and ethical dilemmas.
Her arc gave the show many of its emotional highs and its darkest lows, showing how love, grief, and power can all change a person in profound ways.
5) Faith Lehane
Faith burst onto the scene in season 3 like a bolt of lightning. She was wild, dangerous, and unpredictable. As a Slayer who didn’t play by the rules, Faith served as both a mirror and a warning for Buffy, embodying what might happen if a Slayer strayed from the path. Her inner conflict was central to her appeal and made her the quintessential anti-hero. Her desperate need for connection clashed with her self-destructive instincts, making Faith both tragic and relatable.
She didn’t want to be the bad guy, she just didn’t know how to be the good one. And when she finally chose to fight for the right reasons, it meant everything. After going rogue and becoming one of the show’s primary antagonists, Faith’s eventual redemption arc in both Buffy and Angel made her one of the most dynamic characters in the franchise.
4) Rupert Giles
There is no way we could leave this absolute British legend off the list.
Every Slayer needs a Watcher, and Buffy lucked out with Rupert Giles. As the gang’s resident librarian, demon expert, and father figure, Giles brought both gravitas and dry British humor to the series. He was the emotional backbone of the series. Whether he was training Buffy, guiding the team with steady wisdom, or even revealing glimpses of his dark past as ‘Ripper’, Giles brought complexity and warmth in equal measure.
He also showed us what true mentorship looked like. Giles’ tough-love approach forced Buffy to grow as a leader, and his occasional clashes with the Council of Watchers underscored his loyalty to her above all else. He was the kind of father figure most of the characters didn’t know they needed, until he was gone. But more than just a mentor, Giles proved time and again that he was willing to do whatever it took to protect Buffy, even if it meant walking a morally gray line.
3) Angel
Angel was Buffy‘s first love and one of its most iconic characters. The tortured vampire with a soul, he was brooding, powerful, and endlessly conflicted. His dynamic with Buffy formed the emotional core of the early seasons. While he eventually left Sunnydale for his own TV show spinoff, his legacy loomed large over the series. His struggle with his dark past, his commitment to redemption, especially when he lost his soul after a single moment of happiness with our favorite slayer. Pure Buffy drama at its finest.
Angel represented the idea that even the worst among us can find salvation. He grappled with guilt, destiny, and loss in a way few characters did. His tragic romance with Buffy was classic tragic romance, and his journey after leaving her behind showed that even heroes have to walk their own path.
2) Spike
Originally introduced as a one-off villain in season 2, James Marsters turned Spike into a major fan favorite and cemented him as one of the most loved — and most complex — characters in the Buffyverse. A vampiric visual clone of Billy Idol with his platinum blond hair, punk rock aesthetic, with a side of brutal honesty, Spike was unforgettable from the start. But what truly locked down his legacy was his evolution. He went from ruthless killer to reluctant ally, and finally Buffy’s deeply conflicted lover. Spike’s road to redemption was long, messy, and at times uncomfortable. Still, he ended the series with a soul and a heroic sacrifice, proving just how far he’d come.
Spike’s charisma was matched only by his moral ambiguity. Marsters has often described Spike as “a romantic trapped in a killer’s body,” and that contradiction is exactly why fans still love him today. His arc asked hard questions about love, obsession, and free will, and those questions are still debated by fans today. He challenged Buffy and viewers alike to consider whether someone truly evil could change; not because they had to, but because they wanted to.
1) Buffy Summers
There could only ever be one number one. Buffy Anne Summers is the Chosen One; the Slayer, and the beating heart of the entire series. Sarah Michelle Gellar’s performance brought warmth, strength, vulnerability, and wit to a character that redefined what a female action hero could be. What made Buffy so loved was that she had flaws and human weaknesses. She struggled with depression, with destiny, with loss, and all while dealing with the chaos of puberty. She grew up, she made sacrifices, and she changed the world. From her quippy one-liners to her heartbreaking sacrifices, Buffy was a game-changer.
She redefined what strength looked like on screen. In a time where strength was physical, she showed that emotional honesty and resilience was just as important. She loved fiercely, led with compassion, and bore a burden no one else could understand. And in doing so, she made it okay to be vulnerable while being powerful. That’s a legacy that endures. She’s the heart and soul of the Buffyverse. Without Buffy, there is no Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and no revolution in genre television that followed in her wake.
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Image courtesy of Lucasfilm.
