Celebrating 20 years since its departure from our screens, Buffy The Vampire Slayer has captivated audiences from its inception in 1997. This coming-of-age/horror fantasy raised the bar for television, and provided viewers with one of the first major female-oriented shows. Its popularity has never wavered, even spawning a potential reboot that is currently on hold.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer, with its 7 long seasons, provided an abundance of complex and developed characters. This also extended into Angel, the 1999 spin-off series. From the metamorphosis of an evil villain, to mean girls that risked it all; fans have long debated the best arcs, taking to Reddit to discuss who had the best development, and who stayed the same.
10 Xander
Despite being a main character and member of the Scoobies from the beginning, the consensus among fans is that Xander Harris (Nicholas Brendon) had little to no development throughout 7 seasons. He is known for his comedic relief in times of stress, and for his tumultuous relationships with Cordelia and Anya.
Redditor 2legit2Cthee wishes that "Xander got the development he deserved", and believes Nicholas Brendon deserved better, chalking it up to Joss Whedon basing Xander on himself and not allowing for any real change. That being said, Buffy wouldn't be the same without him, and his loyalty to his friends remained a constant throughout the series.
9 Tara
Tara Maclay (Amber Benson) is often forgotten about, and goes almost entirely unmentioned in fan discussions. This quiet, gentle character was loved by fans, but the show did not allow a full arc. Tara was often a plot point for Willow's development, from their relationship to Tara's tragic death.
An unnamed Redditor notes that Tara being killed was the only time that "she did anything of note." Therein lies the problem for her character. Buffy has been criticized for killing off its characters, particularly Tara, an openly LGBTQ+ woman. The potential for the arc could have been amazing, but fans were ridden of the opportunity too early.
8 Oz
First introduced as a laid-back musician, and eventual love interest for Willow, Oz (Seth Green) was well-liked among fans. His initial arc of discovering he is a werewolf was well-handled, and he joined the Scoobies and managed to accept this new side of himself.
However, fans do not favor his overall character arc. User hannukahmontanuka points out that Oz had a "rushed up ending." 2legit2Cthee also added that "Oz's arc would've been a bigger deal hadn't Seth Green left the show so early." With Seth Green's impressive acting, fans are left wondering what could have been, with yet another character arc cut short.
7 Andrew
The underdog character of this discussion is Andrew (Tom Lenk). Biscuitscoconut drops in Andrew's name as a write-in vote, and many fans would agree. Originally part of a villain trio with Warren (Adam Busch) and Jonathan (Danny Strong) that plotted against Buffy, Andrew would soon become the Scoobies' hostage.
After killing Jonathan under the influence of the First Evil, Buffy apprehended Andrew, and he was a recurring character throughout the final season. His character arc from villain to Scooby gang member was compelling to watch, as he merged with them to help defeat the First Evil in the explosive finale.
6 Anya
Everybody's favorite ex-demon, Anya (Emma Caulfield), had a notable character arc with some areas falling short. She joined Buffy as a vengeance demon, until she was turned human again as a punishment and had to battle with her identity and general dislike for humans. As with Oz, viewers thought that Anya's ending was rushed and did her character arc a disservice.
After years of starting to understand what it is to be human, with some setbacks, Anya is killed off in the finale when the gang fight against the First Evil. It is a heartbreaking death, but fans were not happy. Hannukahmontanuka commented that her death was "random and gratuitous." Without this, Anya's compelling character arc could have been pushed that little bit further.
5 Willow
Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan) has one of the craziest character arcs, and is remembered as one of the best TV witches. Fans first meet Willow as a nerdy bookworm with a kind heart. As she grows up, she dabbles in magic, becoming a powerful witch and eventually develops an addiction to it. When she loses her girlfriend, Tara, she turns to dark magic, hellbent on revenge.
Once recovered and back to normal Willow, she deals with grief and the fallout of addiction. Fans including purplemackem liked the unique nature of her arc: "It makes sense that as Willow gets more powerful and you strip away the cutesy moments...[she] isn't as nice as initially thought." Alyson Hannigan elevates this arc with her consistently amazing performance.
4 Buffy
The title character inevitably pops up as one of the most impressive character arcs, as the show functions on her development from the offset. Everybody's favorite heroine Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle-Gellar) starts as an irresponsible teenager, pushing away the responsibility of being the Slayer.
As the story progresses, Buffy turns into a true protector, focused on her calling and saving everybody around her. She sacrifices herself for her sister, and puts herself in danger to save the world multiple times. She does all of this through grief, heartbreak and pain. Redditor thekindlyeightyeight sums it up perfectly: "Her journey was incredible." Without Buffy's character arc, there would be no Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
3 Cordelia
In season 1, Cordelia Chase (Charisma Carpenter) started as a textbook mean girl. Her clique ruled Sunnydale High. Her arc begins when she begrudgingly ends up as a member of the Scoobies, and eventually dating Xander. When everybody finds out about the relationship, she loses her popularity almost entirely but is willing to sacrifice it for love.
The remainder of her impressive character arc is featured in Angel, the spin-off series. The Cordelia that was called self-centred and vain becomes much more compassionate after gaining psychic visions of those in need of help. Though soulwind42 argues that her "arc fell apart at the end" due to her death, it does not take away from her amazing evolution.
2 Wesley
This stuffy by-the-book Watcher turned bad boy character was written in as a vote by Red_Lizzard and many fans were in agreement. In another arc that predominantly took place in Angel, Wesley Wyndam-Pryce (Alexis Denisof) joins Angel Investigations, a private supernatural hunting service created by Angel.
He journeyed from a terrified Watcher to a highly skilled demon hunter. After turning on Angel and getting injured, he became even stronger and ultimately ended up dying while trying to save the world. Wesley became the hero he wanted to be, but at a cost. Kindashewantsto said that Wesley's arc was the "most organic," and Cansifilayeds agreed: "It's a good story arc because it shows you don't always want what you think you do."
1 Spike
The name on everybody's lips time and time again is Spike (James Marsters), and a character arc that astounded fans throughout the show. Spike was introduced in season 2 as the ultimate 'big bad', a Slayer-killing vampire. But after heartbreak, a chip that stops him from hurting humans, and a new-found love, Spike is almost unrecognizable.
While being the most popular answer to the best character arcs question, fans do note that his development was ruined by the horrific events of season 6, but many still favor his redemption arc despite this. Hannukahmontanuka sums up their thoughts: "The slow cooking and the rhythm of his character development feels so right." Spike remains a popular villain turned hero, solidified when he sacrifices himself in the finale.