Only Buffy Can Name 100% Of These Secondary Characters
- by Rose Moore
- – on
- in Movies and TV
How well do you know the characters of Buffy The Vampire Slayer? Everybody knows the original Scooby Gang, of course. Buffy herself, the peppy cheerleader from LA who has been called to a sacred demon hunting duty. Willow, her quiet and nerdy friend who eventually becomes one of the most powerful witches in the world. Xander, their friend who is always getting into scrapes with monsters, but who is always there for his friends, and who eventually gets some super soldier juice as well.
Then there are the second tier characters. Rupert Giles, Buffy's Watcher, and eventually, her much-loved father figure. Dawn, her magically-created younger sister. Angel, the vampire that she loved first, and Spike, the vampire who she loved last.
But how well do you know all the other characters that appear on this massively popular supernatural series? What about all the demons (friend and foe) that Buffy faces off against over the years, the friends that join the Scooby Gang (or at least, become honorary members over the course of the series), their relatives, bosses, love interests, and more? Can you name all these secondary characters with only a photo and a brief description, and prove that you should earn a spot on the Scoobies, or are you a total Sunnydale newb, who won't be able to name anyone except the main characters? Take our quiz to find out!
Who was the most popular girl in school?
At least in the first few seasons, Buffy The Vampire Slayer is about high school students, so of course, there has to be a queen bee mean girl in the mix. This head cheerleader (obviously) and spoiled rich girl is obnoxious and rude... at first. However, as time goes on and she starts to see that whenever things go wrong, Buffy is there to save the day, she becomes a friend to the Scoobies - and even dates Xander for a while!
Who was the technopagen computer teacher?
Sadly, this teacher didn't make it through to the end, as she was killed by Angel when he turned back into his evil Angelus self (and left on Giles's bed, in a particularly brutal scene). However, for a while she was a major helper to Buffy and the Scoobies, after they discovered that the Sunnydale computer teacher was also an online witch, aka a technopagan. She and Giles also started a relationship, which is what made her murder so very painful for him.
Name this potential slayer
In the first season, Buffy was the only slayer in the series, but slowly, more slayers made their appearances - either because Buffy's death had called the next one, or as Buffy learned more about her power and history. However, by the final season, Buffy and the Scoobies are joined by multiple potential slayers, that Buffy intends to train to fight the First Evil. This potential didn't have to travel far, though, as she was already a student at Sunnydale high!
Name this high school witch
This character first appeared in season one of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, when her witch mother swapped bodies with her in order to try and relive her glory days as a cheerleader. Later, when she and Willow were going to be burned at the stake as witches in their final year, she turned herself into a rat to escape... but couldn't figure out how to reverse the spell until years later, when she became a part of the grown up gang for a short while.
Who was a musician and a werewolf?
One of the many love interests of the Scooby Gang over the years was this guy, who was a guitarist for the band Dingoes Ate My Baby, and who went to both Sunnydale High and Sunnydale University with the gang. He dated Willow for quite a while, but was hiding a secret - he was a werewolf! At first, he worked with the Scoobies to keep his monthly transformation under control, but later left to learn to deal with it in a better way than by using a cage.
Who was Buffy's college boyfriend?
Although Buffy's two biggest loves will always be remembered as Angel and Spike, they weren't her only serious boyfriends. In college, she had a relationship with this guy, who seemed to be a nice TA at first, until she realized that he was also a demon hunter - as a government soldier, working for an organization known as the Initiative. He even recruited her to help for a while, but the two eventually broke up - and Buffy was just too late to get him to stay.
Who was the leader of the Initiative?
Riley was far from the only person in Sunnydale working for The Initiative. There was an entire underground complex of soldiers and scientists working for the same organization, including the woman in charge. By day, she was a particularly hard psychology professor at Sunnydale University, but in secret she was leading the Initiative. This brought her into direct conflict with Buffy, when she tried to get rid of her because her methods were a little too wild... and this 'professor' had some secrets she didn't want Buffy to uncover.
Who was her best friend?
Miss Mean Girl Cordelia also had a little pack of followers, including this blonde who became the new Queen Bee when Cordy was ostracized for dating Xander. Later, at graduation, she was turned into a vampire, but that wasn't her end. She continues to show up throughout the series, as a vamp who loves killing almost as much as she loves unicorns... and who actually dates Spike for a while, even indulging him by dressing up as Buffy in the bedroom.
Which God did Buffy face?
One of the biggest bads that Buffy faces throughout the series is this woman - who is actually a God. She appears in Sunnydale looking for her 'key' - something that has been hidden by a group of monks, and that she needs to complete her evil plan. What she doesn't realize (for a while, anyway) is that the monks turned the key into a person, giving Buffy a younger sister, Dawn - and all the memories that would make her love and protect her.
Who was Glory's human form?
Although Glory is a god, she does have some weaknesses. One is that she spends most of her time imprisoned in a human form - this medical intern. He is a good person, but Glory learned how to free herself from him for short periods of time and take a different form. The conflict between Glory and her human prison becomes a key part of the season where Glory is attempting to find the key, as Buffy doesn't realize that this friend of hers is also Glory.
Who predicted her own death?
This character only appeared for a single episode - and proved that sometimes, even with everything that Buffy has at her disposal, you just can't change fate. This Sunnydale Student came to Buffy's attention when she was working as a guidance counsellor, because she was writing some very dark poetry, and thought she was going to die. Buffy worried about suicide, but it turned out that this young student was psychic, and was simply foretelling her own death, and it couldn't be avoided.
Who was the first principal of Sunnydale high?
There have been multiple principals at Sunnydale high - it's difficult to keep one around for too long, given that the school is on a Hellmouth, and always under attack by various vamps and demonic forces! This was the first principal that Buffy dealt with at the school, and he really did care about the students... until he was eventually eaten by some of the kids he was trying to help, when they were possessed by demon hyena spirits after a trip to the zoo.
Which principal was eaten by a snake?
The second principal of Sunnydale High School was a lot less caring than the first. While Flutie was all about helping the students and listening to them, this principal hated his charges, and thought that they all needed to be kept under control, or they would run wild and cause chaos. Obviously, this meant that he butted heads with Buffy, who was constantly out of school to deal with her Slayer duties... but in the end, this odious principal was eaten by a giant demon snake, much to everyone's satisfaction.
What was the name of this Slayer's son?
This was the third principal of Sunnydale High, after Buffy and her friends had all graduated. At first, he just seemed like a decent educator trying to do his job, but eventually it was revealed that he is so much more than that. He is actually the son of a slayer himself (one that Spike killed, which causes more than a little conflict) - and since his mother's death, he has been training and hunting demons himself, which is why he came to Sunnydale.
Name this friendly demon
While most of the demons in Buffy The Vampire Slayer are bad guys, there are also a few that are on the side of good, and are just trying to live their lives in Sunnydale, demon or not. This is one such, who has floppy ears and skin, as well as red eyes, but who is basically a decent being. He is a friend to Buffy and the Scoobies, and she even trusts him enough to have him babysit Dawn sometimes.
Name this famous vampire
Although most of the vampire characters in Buffy The Vampire Slayer were created specifically for the series, there was no way that Joss Whedon was going to miss out on the opportunity to bring this very famous vampire to life on the small screen. He appears only briefly in the series, but causes all kinds of chaos for Buffy, because he has hypnotic powers and all kinds of other abilities that her usual vampire enemies could only dream of possessing.
Name this friend of Giles
Although Giles appears to just be a stuffy British librarian at first, as the show continues, fans get to learn a lot about the backstory of Buffy's watcher and father figure. Giles only came to the Watchers Council after some wild days of his own, when he was a punk warlock for fun, and went by the name of Ripper. In those days, this man was one of his best friends - although now, the two don't exactly see eye to eye.
Who is this short-lived slayer?
When Buffy was killed in the season one finale, she triggered the Slayer lineage, and the next Slayer was called. Of course, Buffy was brought back to life almost immediately, but that didn't matter - the line had been triggered, and another Slayer showed up in Sunnydale not long after. This Slayer was very different to Buffy, however, having been training for this job her entire life. She had much more respect for Giles than Buffy, as well as a strong sense of duty to the job.
Name this potential slayer
In the final seasons, this is one of the many potential slayers who comes to Sunnydale to train with the Slayer and learn how to harness their power. She was one of the first potentials to arrive in Sunnydale, and had already spent some time with a Watcher, but she had never seen an actual vampire in the flesh until she arrived at the Hellmouth. She started out as a very nervous girl, but under Buffy's training, became one of their best fighters.
Who is this ex-demon who became a Scooby?
Another demon who became a good guy by the end, this character first showed up in high school, where she caused chaos by granting Cordelia's wish that Buffy had never come to Sunnydale - creating an awful alternate reality where all the main characters (other than Buffy herself) had been turned into vampires. Eventually, they got reality back to normal - and by doing so, turned her from a demon to a human, and one that would become a core member of the Scoobies in time.
Who was sent to replace Giles when he was fired?
Giles was fired after Buffy's birthday, when as a rite of passage he was instructed to inject her with a serum that would remove her powers, and then lock her in a house with a vampire to see if she would be able to beat him on her own. She passed their 'test', but Giles, who had come to love Buffy like a daughter, told her about the test and therefore 'failed', and was fired. This watcher was sent to replace him, although Buffy always considered Giles her real Watcher.
Which warlock gets Willow addicted to magic?
Willow goes through a lot in her time on Buffy The Vampire Slayer - especially when it comes to her journey as an incredibly powerful witch. At first, she learns carefully, but she quickly becomes addicted... and when Amy is turned back into a human, she introduced Willow to this warlock, who deals in magic powerful enough to get a witch 'high', and make her lose control. He takes a liking to Willow, and doses her many times before she is able to beat her addiction.
Who is the demon hunter trapped in a dummy?
In the first season of Buffy, the slayer and her friends are strongarmed into taking part in the school talent contest by the principal - and hate it at first, but when students start being killed, they are glad of the access to be able to solve the murders. At first, the Scoobies believe that it is this ventriloquists dummy (who must be cursed, or something), but they soon find out that the dummy is actually a demon hunter himself, cursed to live as a doll.
Name this bartender
In the later seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it becomes clear that the demon community in Sunnydale is by no means limited to the few who want to cause chaos and kill everyone in sight. Instead, there is a thriving community of demons who just quietly live their lives, including going out for drinks - and to that end, Sunnydale even has a bar specifically for demons. It's run by this weaselly little man, who always caves and tells the Slayer what she wants to know.
Who was the love of Willow's life?
In the early seasons of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Willow thought that she was in love with her childhood best friend, Xander. However, as the show continues, Willow realizes that she would rather be with women, and falls in love with this shy and retiring witch that she meets at a wiccan group in college. The two of them have a loving relationship for a long time - until Willow's girlfriend is accidentally shot, sending her into a spiral of dark magic.
Which potential slayer did Willow have a fling with?
Although Tara will always be known as the love of Willow's life, to fans of the show, she's not the only girl that Willow has been with over the course of the show. When the potentials were coming to Sunnydale, she met this headstrong potential, who shared a room with her, and the two eventually ended up getting together... although obviously the imminent destruction of the world by the First Evil put a bit of a dampener on their budding romance.
Which slayer went 'bad'?
Another of the Slayers that was called when a previous one died was this brunette. At first, she seemed like she would be a good friend to Buffy, and a partner in their slaying activities. However, it soon became clear that she wasn't quite stable, and enjoyed having power a little too much. She used her slayer abilities to steal, and even killed a human being, before going completely 'bad', and working for the demon side, against Buffy and the Scoobies.
Who is this insane vampire?
This vamp appeared early on in the series, but reappeared throughout, eventually becoming a fan favorite. In the early days, she was Spike's beloved, and the two of them came to Sunnydale to cause chaos. She even had a love triangle with Spike and Angel, when Angel lost his soul again to become Angelus once more. However, this vamp is also completely insane... and it was revealed that this was down to Angelus, who drove her insane before he turned her.
What's the name of the mayor who sold his soul?
This may be one of the most charming big bads that Buffy has ever crossed - not a crazed God or an uber vamp, but a human man who sold his soul for his love of power. He wanted to become a demon in order to take everything he ever wanted - but before he got there, he was the Mayor of Sunnydale - and a father figure to 'bad slayer' Faith, who he took in as a hired thug.
Name this evil cyborg
Although The Initiative ostensibly wanted to take down the demons of Sunnydale, it turned out that Professor Walsh had some other plans as well. She wasn't just killing demons, she was harvesting their parts to use to create this half-demon, half-cyborg Frankenstein's monster, that she intended to use as a weapon for the government. Unfortunately, he wasn't too happy about the idea of being used as a weapon, and killed her - but thankfully, Buffy was there to take him down.
Who is the leader of The Trio?
Although most of the time, Buffy faced off against demons, monsters, and actual evil, she also had the Trio to deal with. The Trio was a group of guys who went to school with Buffy, and who had learned a certain amount about magic and monsters themselves - and so decided to set themselves up as her nemeses. At first, they were just an annoyance, but in the end, they did actually cause quite a bit of trouble for the Slayer.
Name this preacher
This character appears in the final season of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and is the primary agent and enforcer of the First Evil on Earth. Although he appears as a preacher, he is far from holy, and is a serial killer who delights in attacking and killing the potentials whenever he can (and we know they aren't the only girls that he has killed). He is also the one to blind Xander in one eye, during a big fight between him and the Scoobies.
What's the name of Buffy's mother?
Buffy's mom is one of the people in her life who loves her most - although she didn't even realize what it was that her daughter was doing for a long time! Even when she was bitten by a vampire, she managed to convince herself that she had somehow fallen on a barbecue fork. However, she did eventually find out that her daughter was the Slayer, and supported her as best she could, until she eventually died of natural causes.
Name this reformed 'super villain'
One of the Trio, this magic-user eventually became a friend to the Scoobies, who realized that although he'd done some less than wonderful things in the past, he wasn't really a bad guy. He was just kind of a lonely nerd, and he was looking for ways to gain a little bit of power and control. He became a bit of comic relief in the final seasons of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and one of Buffy's staunchest supporters in the end.
Who is Anya's demon friend?
Although Anya spends most of her time on Buffy The Vampire Slayer as a human, and ex-demon, that doesn't mean that she just cuts off all ties with the demon world that she lived in for decades - and she invites plenty of them to her wedding! This woman, also a vengeance demon, is one of her best friends - even though when she comes to Sunnydale to see Anya, she also ends up cursing the Scoobies thanks to a wish that Dawn carelessly makes...