Highlights
- Buffy Summers is the titular character of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and is a powerful Slayer tasked with defending the world from evil.
- The Buffy universe is full of powerful women who fight against the forces of evil and are ready to face any threat that comes their way.
- Buffy's friends and her close relationship with her Watcher, Giles, contribute to her strength and help her prevail against impossible odds.
Although Buffy the Vampire Slayer is remembered for its vampiric heartthrobs, the show could not exist without its titular character. As a Slayer, Buffy Summers is tasked with defending the world from monsters of myth and legend, whether that means punching demons or battling cyborg Frankenstein's monsters.
Yet Buffy is only one in a long line of Slayers. The Buffy universe (comprising the series itself, plus spin-off series Angel and countless books, comics, and video games) is full of powerful women who are ready to face whatever threat the forces of evil throw at them.
10 Wishverse Buffy Summers
Although Buffy Summers has a reputation as one of fiction's greatest vampire killers, an alternate version of this Slayer had far less success in the fight against evil. Following a misguided wish that transformed Sunnydale into a Mirror Universe-esque hellhole, a cynical Buffy was called in to put things right.
This scarred and serious iteration of the character, native to the so-called "Wishverse," was easily defeated by the Master, a powerful vampire. If anything, the failure of this Buffy demonstrates the importance of her friends in the main universe: without them, she is far less powerful.
9 Kennedy
Buffy the Vampire Slayer's final season substantially expanded the mythos surrounding Slayers. Earlier seasons had shown how another Slayer was always called after the death of the current one, but there had been little exploration of how that process took place. Season 7 introduced the Potentials—the women who were next in line to be called up.
One of these Potentials was Kennedy. Her bratty nature was no obstacle to sparking a romance with Willow, but it didn't endear her to much of the fanbase. However, Kennedy did contribute to the fight against the First Evil, and should not be discounted completely. Gamers might also recognize Kennedy's voice: her actress, Iyari Limon, had roles in Dead Space and L.A. Noire.
8 Dana
While she appeared in the spin-off series Angel rather than Buffy the Vampire Slayer itself, Dana was one of the franchise's most interesting Slayers. She was a Potential but was turned into a full-blown Slayer as a result of a powerful spell. However, a traumatic childhood left Dana ill-equipped to deal with her newfound strength and visions of other Slayers, and she soon became a deadly threat, even managing to take down Spike.
Angel and Spike were eventually able to contain the rogue Slayer, although both vampires reflected that the situation was a tragedy. Dana, though now a danger, had once been a victim. Both redemption-seeking vampires were able to relate to the young woman's experiences.
7 Nikki Wood
Nikki Wood was a Slayer operating in 1970s New York. Unfortunately, her tenure as the Slayer was cut short when she encountered noted Slayer-killing vampire Spike. She became the vampire's second Slayer victim. To make things worse, Spike stole Nikki's coat, which became a central part of his own iconic style.
Before her untimely demise, Nikki gave birth to a child, Robin Wood. Robin would go on to follow in his mother's footsteps as a vampire hunter, playing a key role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer's final battle. As such, Nikki's legacy endured after her death.
6 Xin Rong
Xin Rong was a Slayer who encountered the vampire Spike during the Chinese Boxer Rebellion. Spike, along with other members of the Whirlwind, hoped to exploit the chaos, but the vampire became obsessed with fighting a Slayer. However, he got more than he bargained for when he encountered Xin Rong.
Xin Rong was able to hold her own against Spike, even leaving him with a permanent scar on his eyebrow. Unfortunately, the Chinese Slayer was distracted by a nearby explosion, allowing Spike to gain the upper hand and kill his first Slayer.
5 Melaka Fray
While Buffy the Vampire Slayer is generally thought of as being grounded in a nineties/noughties context, from its fashion to its references, the Slayer is a transhistorical figure. The TV series showed Slayers in 19th-century China; the comics went the other way, delivering a Slayer for the future in the form of ray gun-toting Melaka Fray.
Instead of Sunnydale, Fray occupied 23rd Century Manhattan; instead of having a human Watcher, Fray was guided by a demon. She also lacked the psychic powers common to Slayers: these had manifested in her twin brother, Harth, while in utero. As such, a vampiric Harth was a powerful foe, although Fray was able to best him.
4 Kendra Young
Called to take on the Slayer mantel following Buffy's first death, Kendra was sent to Sunnydale by her Watcher, Mr. Zabuto. The relationship between Kendra and her Watcher is far more formal than Buffy's relationship with Giles, and Kendra is unimpressed by Buffy's attitude when the two women meet.
Kendra demonstrated her aptitude as a fighter, managing to capture Angel after they fought due to a misunderstanding. However, Kendra was unable to resist the hypnotic powers of Drusilla, another vampire, who killed the young Slayer in the library at Sunnydale High.
3 The First Slayer
While no Slayer can claim to have chosen the burden, some have it worse than others. The First Slayer was just a normal girl until three magicians forcibly charged her with demonic energy. This process transformed the girl into the first in a line of incredibly powerful warriors that would endure for millennia to come.
Because she was directly infused with demonic energy, the First Slayer was far stronger and faster than the Slayers that would follow her. However, she lacked an important tool in the fight against evil. Because she was an outcast, she could not rely on support from anybody, and this flaw represented a weakness.
2 Faith Lehane
While rogue Slayer Faith Lehane could hardly be accused of doing things according to the rulebook, she was one of Buffy's most fascinating characters. Her morally gray nature made it difficult for the franchise's heroes to trust her, and with good reason, as she tortured or tried to kill most of them.
However, Faith did eventually find redemption, particularly in the spin-off series Angel. She was tasked with taking down a corrupted Angel and succeeded, making her one of only two Slayers to have done so. While Faith was something of a wildcard, she was a great ally to have in a brawl.
1 Buffy Summers
The eponymous Buffy the Vampire Slayer was, in some ways, a terrible Slayer. Her repeated romantic conquests of vampires were definitely not part of her job description, and she rebelled against the Watcher's Council on multiple occasions. However, when push came to shove, Buffy was on hand to avert the apocalypse.
Much of Buffy's strength came from her friends and her close relationship with her Watcher, Giles. The resulting Scooby Gang helped her to prevail against seemingly impossible odds, from boyfriends-gone-evil to murderous gods. Nor did Buffy let death get in the way of her slaying duties—she died twice during the show and came back each time.