Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Characters/Regulars: Difference between revisions

 

[[File:buffy_gellar_5453.jpg|frame]]

 

The Slayer, main character, and leader of the Scooby Gang (except when she was absent or dead). Started out as a reluctant Slayer, but grew to accept her destiny. For much of the show's run, she was the only really combat-capable character. [[Death Is Cheap|Died twice]].

* [[All Girls Want Bad Boys]]: Lampshaded by Buffy herself in "Something Blue" when she worries that a nice, safe relationship would lack the intensity. She falls in love with both [[The Atoner|Angel]] and [[Blood Knight|Spike]], but her [[Dogged Nice Guy]] boyfriend Riley Finn ends up leaving because Buffy doesn't love him as much as he loves her.

** Deconstructed by Spike in "Never Leave Me".

* [[Awesome Moment of Crowning]]: Buffy being given the Class Protector Award nearly qualifies as a crowning.

* [[Badass Adorable]]: Everyone thinks she looks adorable after her haircut.

* [[Mama Bear]]

* [[The Masquerade Will Kill Your Dating Life]]:

* [[Master of the Mixed Message]]: Tells Satsu that she can't be with her, but sleeps with her. Twice. Poor Satsu ends up more than a little confused.

** Also with Spike; kissing or having sex with him, claiming that it's never going to happen ever again, then falling back in his arms the moment she gets depressed. [[Attempted Rape|This has consequences]] when Buffy really does end the relationship and Spike assumes she's just playing her usual games.

 

[[File:willow_hannigan_7264.jpg|frame]]

 

Buffy's best friend. Started out as [[The Smart Guy]], but eventually became an extremely powerful witch. Came out in Season 4, and is one of the most recognized lesbian characters in fiction.

* [[Most Definitely Not a Villain]]: Regular Willow and Vampire Willow, when impersonating each other.

* [[Nerds Love Tough Schoolwork]]: Ooh! Ooh! Study Party!

* [[No Bisexuals]]

* [[Of Corsets Sexy]]: Vamp Willow.

* [[Oh My Gods]]: For the love of Hecate!

* [[The Other Marty]]: Willow's played by a different actress in the unaired pilot.

* [[Super-Powered Evil Side]]: During early Season 7, especially the scene in "Selfless" where she reverts to her evil personality for a few seconds while fending off a spider demon.

* [[Sweater Girl]]: Season 3 Willow.

* [[Teen Genius]]

* [[Tempting Fate]]: Almost a [[Running Gag]] with her.

 

[[File:xander_brendon_3931.jpg|frame]]

 

Buffy's other best friend. Unlike Willow, Xander never gained any powers (apart from some military training). He had a crush on Buffy early on.

** In the last Season, it is revealed that he and Willow devised a secret phone code for "My date's a demon who's trying to kill me."

* [[Hormone-Addled Teenager]]:

'''Xander:''' I'm 17. Looking at linoleum makes me wanna have sex. }}

** And when Buffy reads his mind:

* [[Hopeless Suitor]] In the first season

* [[Hot Men At Work]]

 

[[File:giles_head_6928.jpg|frame]]

 

Buffy's Watcher. Very British. Originally just [[Mr. Exposition]], turned out to have [[Dark and Troubled Past|quite a past]]. Also played [[Team Dad]] to the Scoobies.

* [[British Stuffiness]]: "He makes that 'tut tut' sound when he's angry but too British to say anything."

** At least to others. Early in Season 3, Joyce acquires an artifact that summons zombies. When he finds out, Giles is pissing and moaning in his car:

* [[The Cast Showoff]]: He was the first to show off his awesome singing voice.

* [[Cool Old Guy]]

* [[Guile Hero]]

* [[Hard Head]] / [[Tap on the Head]]: Giles tends to get knocked out, but never suffers any brain damage (well, not counting some WMG's about S7).

* {{spoiler|[[Heroic Sacrifice]]}}: {{spoiler|Giles got between a Twilight possessed Angel and Buffy as they fought near the Seed of Wonder, wielding the Scythe to try and destroy the Seed himself and end Twilight's invasion of Earth, or get killed by Twilight and give Buffy the motivation she needed to take the Scythe and end things herself.}}

* [[Heel Face Turn]]: Pre-series-he used to be pretty much evil in his younger days, practicing dark magic and stuff like that and and was known as Ripper.

* [[Laser-Guided Amnesia]]: While in London during Season 6, Giles did a spell to bind a demon, but it required him to lose the memory of one of the happiest days in his life. That day was the day he fell in love with Jenny Calendar, leaving him with a heartache that he felt would never go away, even though he had no idea what the memory was about.

* [[Limited Wardrobe]]: A Watcher scoffs at fashion! One tweed suit is all you need.

'''Giles:''' Uh well, not as such, no. }}

* [[Magic Librarian]]

* [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast]]: "Ripper."

* [[Necessarily Evil]]: Best exemplified in the following quote:

* {{spoiler|[[Neck Snap]]}}

* [[Nightmare Fetishist]]:

* [[Non-Idle Rich]]

* [[Occult Detective]]

 

[[File:angel_boreanaz_977.jpg|frame]]

 

Vampire cursed with a soul, and Buffy's first [[Love Interest]]. Loses his soul in Season 2, becoming a formidable [[Big Bad]] with a love of torture (both physical and psychological). Later got [[Angel|his own show]].

* [[Hunk]]: His attractiveness is how he got his nickname.

* [[Kick the Dog]]: As Angelus, oh so much. Giles was going to read something about an incident with a puppy:

* [[Knight of Cerebus]]: Sort of. The previous villains certainly weren't harmless, but the show did become darker once Angelus was unleashed.

* [[Large and In Charge]]: Angel's a pretty big guy. Good thing he's on our side! ...oh, wait.

* [[Star-Crossed Lovers]]: With Buffy.

* [[Stealth Hi Bye]]

* [[Suicide by Sunlight]]: Attempted.

* [[Terms of Endangerment]]: You can always tell when he's crazy because he refers to Buffy as "Buff."

 

[[File:charismacordy_6865.jpg|frame]]

 

Started out as the [[Alpha Bitch]], before joining the Scooby Gang and eventually being spun off to ''[[Angel]]''.

* [[The Brainless Beauty]]: Was originally led to be this, but then subverted all to hell when she showed [[Hidden Depths]].

** [[Lampshaded]] early in Season 3 when discussing the SAT:

* [[Brutal Honesty]]: "Tact is just not saying true stuff. I'll pass."

* [[Butt Monkey]]

* [[The Chick]]

* [[Comically Missing the Point]]: All too often, someone will make a remark and Cordelia will agree in some shallow, appearance-related fashion.

'''Cordelia:''' You should listen to him. The hair, it's so flat, and the lips... }}

* [[Deadpan Snarker]]

 

[[File:anya_caufield_728.jpg|frame]]

 

Originally a 1,120-year-old vengeance demon who lost her powers and eventually joined the Scooby Gang. Was a [[Love Interest]] for Xander for three seasons before their relationship ended, and she went back to being a Vengeance Demon. Lost her powers and rejoined the Scoobies in early Season 7.

* [[Brutal Honesty]]: "I hate us! Everybody's so *nice*. Nobody says what's on their mind."

* [[Cannot Tell a Joke]]: Though, with little doubt, she's the funniest character from Season 4 onwards.

'''Anya:''' Quiet! You'll miss the humorous conclusion. }}

* [[Characterization Marches On]]: Her social prowess rivaled Cordelia in her first couple of appearances, [[No Social Skills|then she swung in the complete opposite direction]] once she started appearing regularly.

 

[[File:oz_green_5088.jpg|frame]]

 

Guitarist for a local band who became a werewolf, as well as Willow's boyfriend. Left in early Season 4. Nigh-impossible to faze. In the comics, he married a fellow werewolf with whom he had a son. Together they teach other werewolves to conquer their demons. He later assisted the Slayer Organization during the Twilight crisis.

 

[[File:marsters_spike_1571.jpg|frame]]

 

British vampire who served as the villain for early Season 2. Was planned to die, but his status as [[Ensemble Darkhorse]] saved him. He showed up in one episode in Season 3 before returning for good in Season 4. Had a chip in his head that prevented him from hurting humans, so he joined up with the Scoobies for survival and so he could get his kicks by fighting demons. Eventually fell in love with Buffy, and had a twisted relationship with her in Season 6. Got a soul at the end of Season 6 and made a [[Heroic Sacrifice]] in the finale. Reappeared on ''[[Angel]]''. He is Tropetastic.

* [[Closet Geek]]: Develops an unlikely passion for ''[[Passions]]''.

* [[Closet Sublet]]: With Anya gone, Spike ignominiously moves into a 'spare room' in Xander's apartment.

* [[Combat Sadomasochist]]: Lampshaded on several occasions, most notably when Spike makes his [[Anguished Declaration of Love]].

'''Buffy:''' Well, I do beat him up a lot. For Spike, that's like third base. }}

* [[The Confidant]]: For Buffy in the first half of Season 6.

* [[Love Interest]]

* [[Love Martyr]]: [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshades]] it with both his character quote and the page quote.

* [[Love Redeems]]

* [[Manchurian Agent]]: In the seventh season.

* [[Street Smart]]

* [[Stylistic Suck]]: Spike's bloody awful poetry.

* [[Suspiciously Similar Substitute]]: Spike was initially demoted to comic relief as a way of filling the gap left by Cordelia. Joss felt the absence of both Cordy ''and'' Oz left the heroes without a dissenting voice.

* [[There Is Another]]: Spike gradually takes on 'Angel' mantle in Seasons 5-7, whereupon he get treated to guilt, hallucinations, [[Reduced to Ratburgers|eating rats]] -- the works.

** He still caught a lot more breaks that Angel did. When Angel got his soul back, he was obliged to let himself be shackled to the wall of an empty house. Spike gets tied up [[Chained to a Bed|in Buffy's bedroom with nice soft rope]].

* [[This Is for Emphasis, Bitch]]: What's he [[Stalker with a Crush|doing outside Buffy's house]]? Five words or less. He's "Out. For. A. Walk." *[[Beat]]* "[[This Is for Emphasis, Bitch|Bitch]]."

* [[Trenchcoat Brigade]]

* [[Tsundere]]: After he develops a crush on {{spoiler|Buffy}}. "[[Musical Episode|First he'll kill her, then I'll save her... No, I'll save her]], ''[[If We Survive This|then]]'' [[Musical Episode|I'll kill her...]]" Played shallowly in his fling with Harmony, where the Deredere is mostly an act, partly a rebound crush, and the Tsuntsun is because she's ''[[It's All About Me|just]] [[Motor Mouth|that]] [[Spanner in the Works|annoying]]''.

* [[Wall Glower]]

* [[Warrior Poet]]: Literally, although the latter isn't really showcased until Angel.

** '''Season 5:''' " {{spoiler|Buffy}}, [[Anguished Declaration of Love|I love you]]. God, I love you so much. [[All Just a Dream|...]][[Catapult Nightmare|Oh, God, no]]. [[Love Epiphany|Please, no]]."

** '''Season 6:''' Not by him, but about him.

'''Demon:''' "Very well. We will return...{{spoiler|your soul}}." }}

* [[White-Haired Pretty Boy]]: It's dyed, but beyond that.

* [[You Are Number Six]]: The Initiative rechristens him "Hostile 17".

 

 

[[File:riley_blucas_9627.jpg|frame]]

''"..[[Last-Second Word Swap|Petroleum]]."''|Riley and Buffy}}

 

 

[[File:dawn_trach_7295.jpg|frame]]

 

Buffy's younger sister who was [[Cosmic Retcon|Cosmic Retconned]] into existence in Season 5. Was actually a [[MacGuffin|Key]] that could open dimensional barriers. Spent two seasons as [[The Chick]] before becoming [[The Smart Guy]].

** Not to mention she has this vibe with her own sister.

* [[The Load]]: [[Lampshaded]] in Season 6.

* [[Minored in Asskicking]]

* [[Missed the Call]]

* [[Took a Level In Badass]]: In Season 7 (technically starting in the season 6 finale).

* [[Wham! Line]]: Dawn has a couple, inadvertently or otherwise. Like when talking to Riley about Buffy's relationship with Angel:

** Or to her sister:

* [[Wrong Genre Savvy]]: In a lot of Season 7, she amusingly seems to think she's in ''[[CSI]]''.

* [[Younger Than She Looks]]: A 14-year old girl who is more than [[Really Seven Hundred Years Old]] and is technically no more than a few hours old when first introduced.

 

[[File:tara_benson_4152.jpg|frame]]

 

Willow's love interest in Seasons 4-6. Also a capable witch, and a lot wiser about her powers than Willow. {{spoiler|Killed off in Season 6}}. She and Willow are the longest-lasting lesbian couple in network television history, and one of the best known.

* {{spoiler|[[Bring Out Your Gay Dead]]}}

* [[Cure Your Gays]]: Parodied in "Once More, With Feeling."

* {{spoiler|[[Dead Star Walking]]}}

* [[Fake Guest Star]]: Despite appearing in almost fifty episodes.

* {{spoiler|[[Famous Last Words]]}}: [[Tear Jerker|"Your shirt..."]]

* [[Getting Crap Past the Radar]]: Her love song to Willow in "Once More, With Feeling" is extremely touching. And extremely sexy if you actually listen to what she's singing: "Willow, you make me ''com''plete." Whedon said after the fact that it was the dirtiest thing he'd ever written.

* [[Hot Witch]]

* {{spoiler|[[Instant Death Bullet]]}}

* [[Nice Girl]]: The closest this series has to one. Stands out especially during Season 6.

* [[N-Word Privileges]]: In this cut scene from "Dead Things".

* [[Promotion to Opening Titles]]: For one episode.

** {{spoiler|[[Dead Star Walking]]}}

* {{spoiler|[[Too Good for This Sinful Earth]]}}

* [[Wham! Line]]: If you thought Willow and Tara were "just friends"...

'''Tara''': Yours. }}

* [[White Sheep]]