The world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, its spin-off series, is full of supernatural elements. There are deadly demons, marauding cyborgs, and hundreds of vampires in need of a good staking—including Dracula himself.
As such, it's unsurprising that the Buffyverse is chock-full of magic users. Some of these wizards and witches attempt (and often fail) to use their powers for good, while others are bad to the bone. But even these less benevolent warlocks are not entirely evil: spells can be used for childish mischief as well as for ending the world.
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10 Jonathan Levinson
Jonathan Levinson is introduced as something of a joke within the Buffy franchise, an eternal background character who represents the average Sunnydale High student. However, the show's writers were keen to develop Jonathan, first with an attempted suicide and then by having him turn to magic to improve his life.
His attempt is initially successful. Jonathan is able to create an alternate reality in which he is the main character, a charming and competent ladies man who writes best-selling books, releases albums, and fights vampires better than Buffy herself. However, once this dreamworld collapses, Jonathan turns to crime. He allies with fellow nerds Tucker and Warren to form the Trio, a supervillain gang, although he eventually sees the error of his ways.
9 Wesley Wyndam-Pryce
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off series Angel are well-known for their interesting character arcs, and Wesley Wyndam-Pryce's is perhaps the franchise's most unexpected. Introduced in Buffy's third season as the titular Slayer's bumbling replacement Watcher before making the leap to Angel, Wesley grows from a useless coward to a fearless slayer of evil.
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Although his magical powers are only second-rate, he is able to achieve several incredible feats. He helps to exorcise a demon from a possessed child and even duels one of the franchise's most powerful sorcerers, the demonic Cyvus Vail. It's an impressive track record for a character introduced for comic relief.
8 Rupert Giles
While Rupert Giles is best known as Buffy's on-again-off-again Watcher, he demonstrates proficiency with the magical arts several times throughout the Buffy franchise. He is well-versed in supernatural phenomena, particularly of the apocalyptic kind, and even owns a store for spell users, the Magic Box.
However, Giles is also capable of wielding powerful magics. He is empowered by the Devon Coven, a group of British witches, who give him the magic he needs to confront a power-mad Willow Rosenberg. Giles initially has the upper hand over the formidable witch, although she eventually drains him of his powers.
7 Amy Madison
Magic-user Amy Madison makes her first appearance in the aptly titled "Witch", although all is not as it seems. The episode reveals that Amy's mother has hijacked her daughter's body to re-enact her high school glory days. After the switcheroo is reversed, Amy follows in her mom's footsteps when it comes to dabbling in the dark arts.
Amy's party trick is to turn herself and others into a rat, often for years at a time. Her restoration to human form results in a troubled friendship with fellow witch Willow, who Amy introduces to the darker side of the magical world. Amy's own spells often misfire: her attempt to help Xander Harris with a love spell results in Sunnydale's entire female population falling in love with the hapless dork.
6 Ethan Rayne
Magic can be used for good or for evil, but it can also be used for simple mischief. Warlock Ethan Rayne appears to have no interest in conquering the world or triggering apocalypses. Instead, he entertains himself with various magical schemes that wreak havoc on the town of Sunnydale.
Ethan's first scheme is to transform the town's citizens into their Halloween costumes; his second is to intoxicate Sunnydale's adult population with cursed candy that reverts them to their teenage personas. He frequently clashes with his old friend Rupert Giles, and even magically transforms Giles into a demon as payback for foiling his rascally schemes.
5 Rack
Buffy's sixth season is remembered for its darker tone—even the musical episode centers on grief and depression. One grim element of the season is the inclusion of Rack, a nefarious warlock who functions as a kind of magical drug dealer. Rack is able to imbue other practitioners with powerful dark magics, resulting in an overwhelming high.
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Rack's addictive magic often causes other users to lose control of their powers, demonstrating his supernatural influence. He is also proficient in cloaking spells, as his hideout is magically concealed from non-demons and those unable to use magic.
4 Jenny Calendar
Jenny Calendar, also known as Janna, is a powerful witch who plays a key role in Buffy the Vampire Slayers early seasons. Unlike conventional witches and wizards, Jenny is a technopagan, a magic user who makes use of modern technology when casting spells. This puts her at odds with the book-loving Giles, although the two eventually fall in love.
Jenny's position as Sunnydale High's computer science teacher is the perfect cover for her magical practices, and she is able to use the school's computers to translate an ancient spell needed to curse a vampire with a soul. Although she sadly perishes before making use of the spell, her efforts inspire Willow Rosenberg, one of her students, to experiment with the magical arts.
3 Tara Maclay
Talented witch Tara Maclay is introduced in Buffy's fourth season as a love interest for series star Willow. Much of the couple's lesbian relationship is dramatized via metaphor, with the duo's spellcasting providing a censor-friendly way to depict a same-sex romance without offending 1990s broadcast sensibilities.
Tara demonstrates real skill with spells. She is able to fight off a demonic attacker using supernatural means, casts a demon invisibility spell, and is also able to use magic in an offensive context. She also knows her limits: she recognizes that Willow is becoming corrupted by increasingly powerful magics and pleads with her to stop.
2 Cyvus Vail
Demon sorcerer Cyvus Vail does not actually appear in Buffy the Vampire Slayer itself. Instead, he serves as one of the principal antagonists in Angel's final season. As a member of the powerful Circle of the Black Thorn, Vail enjoys vast prestige and influence over the magical world.
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Despite his frail physical state, Vail's magical powers are considerable. He is capable of altering memories and the very fabric of reality, but he also possesses significant offensive powers. Indeed, during a duel to the death with Wesley Wyndam-Price, Vail is able to hurl powerful balls of energy and to telekinetically influence objects.
1 Willow Rosenberg
Willow Rosenberg's character arc in Buffy the Vampire Slayer sees her grow from a shy nerd to one of the most powerful witches in the franchise. Her first major magical act is to return Angel's soul, thus ending his vampiric killing spree. She also plays a pivotal role in Buffy's conclusion when she uses magic to transform the Potentials into true Slayers.
Willow is perhaps most powerful in her "Dark Willow" persona. Triggered by the death of her lover, this era sees Willow use magic to lash out at the world—and even to try and destroy it. Indeed, for all of her strength, Willow is limited by her own emotions. She is unable to curse a cheating ex-boyfriend, while she punches dangerously above her weight by taking on a literal god to avenge her girlfriend's suffering.