Top 5 Buffy Characters Who Joined After Season 1

5 Best Buffy The Vampire Slayer Characters Introduced After Season 1 Willow standing between Oz and Tara in Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 4-1

By Liz Hersey Published 4 minutes ago Liz Hersey is an Editor for ScreenRant's Classic TV team, editing, writing, and creating content about the iconic shows you love to rewatch. She began her editing career at ScreenRant in 2019, shortly after joining the site as a Writer that same year. With a passion for all things books, Liz frequently attends Toronto literary events and conferences, and loves interacting with her book lover community. In addition to being an avid reader of the romance and thriller genres, Liz is a writer of several short stories, and is currently at work on a young adult witch novel. When she's not working, reading, or writing, Liz can be found seeing movies at her local cinema, attending live jazz events, or curling up on the couch to binge her favorite TV shows. You can reach her at [email protected]. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

Though it may be hard to imagine a time in Buffy the Vampire Slayer without the show's biggest fan-favorites, several of Buffy's best characters weren't introduced until after season 1. While Buffy season 1 only a masterpiece at the end, it still gave us most of the show's beloved characters, including Willow, Giles, Angel, Cordelia, and the Slayer herself, Buffy Summers.

Of course, characters would come and go across Buffy's seven seasons, and along the way, the fandom would fall in love with a rogue Slayer, various love interests, and one particular bleach-blond villain-turned-love-interest. Buffy truly wouldn't be the great show it was without these late-to-the-party characters.

Daniel "Oz" Osbourne

Introduced Season 2, Episode 4, "Inca Mummy Girl"

Oz (Seth Green) resting his head on a table in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Oz had a seemingly innocuous introduction, first appearing as the guitarist of Dingoes Ate My Baby, a rock band he plays in with Devon MacLeish, Cordelia's paramour du jour. But Oz would go on to become so much more.

From his very first episode, season 2, episode 4, "Inca Mummy Girl," it's clear that Oz is smitten with Willow right from the minute he sees her in a ridiculously temperature-inappropriate Eskimo costume at the Bronze (cultural appropriation wasn't really a thing back then). For the next couple of episodes, Oz finds himself regularly bumping into Willow, asking himself in amazement, "Who is that girl?"

This isn't an ordinary case of the male gaze or Oz fetishizing dorky women — he can see Willow's soul and he's attracted to her for exactly who she is. For nerdy girls growing up watching the show, who identified more with Willow than Buffy, this was powerful. Oz sent the message that yes, sweet, attractive guys exist, and you don't need to change who you are or how you look for them to like you.

When Oz and Willow do finally start dating later in season 2, he quickly proves himself to be the best boyfriend in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Oz constantly protects and defends Willow without ever wanting her to sacrifice her own agency, and he encourages her to pursue magic and her power while also expressing appropriate concern.

Of course, Oz is also a werewolf. This is a fascinating twist, as it's the first time Buffy really explores ethical demon hunting, seeing how Oz is a regular guy, save the three nights of the full moon. Unfortunately, though he tried to manage his werewolf condition, it became too much.

Oz eventually left in the underrated Buffy season 4, breaking Willow's heart along with the audience's. This was arguably just as painful a breakup as Buffy killing Angel and sending him to hell just as he got his soul back.

The ultimate reason for Oz's Buffy departure is that Seth Green's star got too big and he wanted to pursue other projects. But while he was on the show, Buffy was all the better for it.

Anya Jenkins

Introduced In Season 3, Episode 9, "The Wish"

Anya singing in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Once More with Feeling episode-1

Anya's journey throughout Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of versatility, as she has been everything from a villainous demon to a noble heroine. When she was introduced in season 3, episode 9, "The Wish," it seemed like Anya would simply be one of Buffy's best monsters of the week, a vengeance demon who grants Cordelia's wish and sends her into an alternate reality where Buffy never came to Sunnydale.

However, rather than simply being vanquished, Anyanka is stripped of her demonic powers and forced to live out her existence as Anya the mortal. As Anya hasn't been human for over 1000 years, she struggles to adapt, and it's through her filterless commentary on and observation of human society that Buffy finds much of its humor.

Though she inexplicably fell for the toxic Xander, their relationship grew into one of mutual love and affection, and the two shared many sweet moments. It was through Anya's romance with Xander that she opened herself up to being vulnerable — which just made it all the more heartbreaking when he left her at the altar.

Anya's death in the Buffy series finale was incredibly controversial because of its brevity — both the death scene itself and the characters' mourning her after the final battle. Thankfully, the bunny-fearing capitalist who stole our hearts will forever live on in the Buffy fandom.

Faith Lehane

Introduced In Season 3, Episode 3, "Faith, Hope & Trick"

Faith smiling at Buffy in a dream sequence in Graduation Day

Before Faith stormed onto the scene, Buffy was considered the rebellious Slayer. Rather than rule books and isolation, Buffy had witty one-liners and a core group of friends who fought alongside her against vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness. But when she met Faith, Buffy looked like a total Watcher's pet in comparison.

The show biffed its first attempt at a second Slayer with Kendra, a total stick-in-the-mud with an offensive accent. But Buffy nailed it with Faith. While Kendra took stoic pride in her Slayer duties and Buffy begrudgingly performed hers, Faith revelled in the violence she got to inflict on any supernatural creatures unfortunate enough to cross paths with her.

For a moment, Buffy found herself seduced by Faith's rebellious attitude and belief that being the Slayer meant she was entitled to do whatever she wanted. But as Buffy would discover, Faith's "livin' large" facade was a thin veil, hiding one of the most emotionally vulnerable characters in Buffy the Vampire Slayer history.

More than power and freedom, Faith simply wanted to be loved, and nobody in her life had ever truly given her that basic human right. Faith's envy of Buffy, and how love came so easily to her, was too much to bear, resulting in Faith going rogue and joining forces with one of Buffy's best-ever villains, the Mayor.

Ironically, it was by breaking bad that Faith got the love she so desperately sought. Watching Faith and the Mayor's scenes out of context may actually find audiences rooting for them due to their sweet and incredibly genuine pseudo-father-daughter relationship.

Of course, Faith found herself on the losing side after Buffy sent her into a coma before dispensing with her father figure. Upon waking from it, Faith was left confronted with her own choices, and though she initially planned to return to villainy, she turned herself in for her crimes in Angel.

Faith's very dramatic redemption arc came to a head in the Buffy finale when she fought alongside Buffy, the Scoobies, and the Potentials-turned-Slayers. It's hard to think of a Buffy character more fascinating than Faith — she's truly a "five by five" one-of-a-kind.

Tara Maclay

Introduced In Season 4, Episode 10, "Hush"

Amber Benson as Tara in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 5 Talking to Buffy in a Hospital

"Hush" may be most famous for being one of the best Buffy episodes of all time or its terrifying villains, the Gentlemen, but the almost dialogue-free episode also introduced a shy young witch named Tara Maclay. In an attempt to get over Oz, Willow joined UC Sunnydale's Wicca group. While she found most members a bunch of phonies, she recognized the real deal in Tara.

Buffy characters with big personalities like Faith and Spike boldly announce themselves, but Tara's introduction was much quieter, though she quickly proved she was just as important to the show. It was obvious why Willow was so drawn to her, and watching them go from fellow witches to the best couple in Buffy the Vampire Slayer was one of the show's best storylines.

Even though she had some meekness to work through, Tara showed that being quiet and introverted doesn't make you any less powerful. Beyond her witch powers, Tara radiated emotional intelligence and empathy so much that she was the only one Buffy told about her sexual relationship with Spike.

Tara never needed to be the center of attention, but she was firmly in the spotlight in Buffy's iconic musical episode, "Once More, with Feeling." Amber Benson's songbird-like vocals singing one of the Buffy musical's best songs, "Under Your Spell", is truly one of the show's greatest scenes.

Sadly, Tara's Buffy the Vampire Slayer death faced even more backlash than Anya's. Accidentally shot to death after Tara and Willow had only just reconciled is one of the most egregious usages of the "bury your gays" trope in TV history. But when most of us think about Tara, we don't think about her passing; rather, we think about how much more magical she made the show during her time on it.

Spike

Introduced In Season 2, Episode 3 "School Hard"

Spike's entrance — mowing down the "Welcome to Sunnydale" sign with his black car, electric guitars strumming as he gets out and lights a cigarette, cheekily saying, "Home sweet home" — is by far the most memorable introduction of any Buffy the Vampire Slayer character, and the show would never be the same after.

With his punk rock aesthetic and sensibilities, Spike was a welcome antidote to the show's previous stuffy and ritualistic villains, the Master and the Anointed One, the latter of whom Spike gleefully kills. But Spike was a rebel with a cause — to kill the Slayer.

While nobody obviously wanted Buffy to die, we still couldn't help but be charmed by and even root for the bad boy vampire. That's because, besides his charismatic personality and good looks, Spike was a hopeless romantic. This is immediately apparent with how he dotes on his paramour, Drusilla, and it makes even more sense when we learn about his pre-vampire identity as the lovesick William.

In season 4, the Initiative threw a wrench into Spike's reign of terror when they implanted a chip in his head that prevented him from hurting any living being. Though the show played on Spike's "neutered vamp" status for too long, it was a stroke of brilliance to have him align with the Scoobies, which, of course, led to his infatuation and obsession with Buffy.

Buffy and Spike's rocky relationship is defined by two things: its searing-hot chemistry and its toxicity. The show made some awful decisions regarding their storyline, namely Spike's attempted assault on Buffy, but James Marsters always rose above them and turned in powerful performances in every episode.

Interestingly, Spike wasn't supposed to be around nearly as long as he was. The original plan was to see Spike killed off in season 2, but Marsters proved so popular, both with the audience and the cast, that he remained on Buffy the Vampire Slayer until its very end, when he died the ultimate hero's death.

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Buffy The Vampire Slayer

10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed Action Comedy Drama Horror Supernatural Release Date 1997 - 2003 Network The WB Showrunner Joss Whedon Directors Joss Whedon Writers Joss Whedon

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Sarah Michelle Gellar Buffy Summers
Nicholas Brendon Alexander Harris

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