BUFFY CHARACTER TIER LIST! 

Y’all know this is just my opinion right? Also, due to mistakes on my end this video has been uploaded 3 times. It looks so bad cause RU-vid compression is THAT bad… if you do it three times. Lol

Anya's reaction to the death of Joyce is one of the most powerful moments in TV. Change my mind.

I'm just glad to see Giles get the appreciation he deserves, although my reasoning was less tied to the Candy episode and more to just how his relationship with buffy is constantly developing in amazing, earned ways. Plus loved seeing him first presented as a bumbling librarian and then learning he used to summon demons for kicks

I'm sorry but you forgot the most well rounded, thoughtfully written and touchingly crafted character in the whole of the show. Justice for Caveman Buffy

I think if you'd seen Angel this tier list would be very different. Wesley is underdeveloped in season 3 of Buffy and is mostly a bumbling comic relief character. By the later seasons of Angel he's unrecognisable and yet his development tracks wonderfully to make him possibly the best-written character in the Buffy-verse. Angel is bogged down by orbiting Buffy without much room to define himself individually, 'Amends' S3E10 gives a preview of the journey he goes on throughout the spin-off show. Faith's redemption arc is missing its whole middle section without her Angel episodes, in fact she's a big reason why season 4 of Angel is even worth watching. Cordelia develops well on Angel to the point where she becomes one of the most endearing people and then... well Imma just pretend her Season 4 plot never happened, it's better if we all do. At least they tried to fix things after that.

It’s a pretty solid list. I’d have put Wesley and Harmony further up on the list, but that’s mostly based on their “Angel” appearances. I would recommend at least watching the Faith 2 Parter from Angel season 1 since it resolves her original character arc and acts as bridge to her later appearances on BTVS. Also there’s a muppet fight in the Angel season 5 that’s a lot of fun.

Completely agree about Joyce, she was a horrible mother. First time Buffy told her the truth she put her in psych ward and the second time basically threw her out

It's frustrating but also weirdly ironic how all of the characters here that also appeared in Angel would turn into S or A tier characters. Even with and despite all the horrible revelations around how whedon treated Chrisma Carpenter - Cordelia was an incredible and wonderful character in that show.

Man I really, really hope Daniel decides to watch Angel just so I can see all his interesting choices that would inevitably happen in his character tier list for that show. Plus it's a great show despite its issues, just like Buffy.

I’m sure this will be an incredibly easy video to follow as someone who’s never seen the show. I know the show’s pretty wild, so I’m excited to be thoroughly confused 👍🏼

Buffy is a TV show that defined the generation that watched it and the generations of TV shows that came after. It aged so well and it will be forever iconic. I grew up with Buffy and she's still in my heart.

Wesley might be my favorite television character of all time and I really think you should give Angel a shot purely for his arc. Although Angel and Cordy are vastly improved upon there as well.

I agree the whole Angel storyline is very creepy. Let’s not forget though, Anya was also about a thousand years old when she went after Xander, who was still in high school and a minor at the time 😬I swear that I’ll never tell I guess 🤐

Its been clarified that by the time Cordelia is comically flirting with Wesley she's 18. It was played as a joke, particularly their kissing scene and afterwards both of them realise how dumb they were to be pursuing each other. By the time they're working together through the spinoff it doesn't come up, so I don't dock points against Wesley for it.

Being the same age as the characters were portrayed always leaves this show with a level of nostalgia that really has a special place for me. The music, fashion, and honestly humor really does take me back.

I remember when you first mentioned Buffy on the channel and the dismissive way that you talked about it inspired me to write my most well-thought-out comment ever. It makes me so happy to see that you've finished it and understand how monumental this show was despite some of the creepy things that seemed less creepy when it was airing.

Okay, I get it. I get it. I get it... ...but I'm crying Angel The Show character development tears. There are SO MANY characters in Buffy that get a massive glow up in Angel. Wesley is still my favorite character of all time, and watching Buffy only fans digest this fact is always amusing but depressing lol!

You gotta watch Angel. Wesley has a character arc bigger than Superman's trajectory while leaping a tall building in a single bound.

Ethan Rayne is responsible for some of the best filler episodes AND Giles moments in the show. He's basically just a plot device to bring out Giles's dark side, which is ALWAYS awesome. Definitely underrated.

You should watch Angel. In many ways I think it's a better series than Buffy. If nothing else it adds way more depth and likeability to Angel, Wesley, and Cordelia.

I love Wesley. The development he has from his first episode in Buffy to his time on Angel is really amazing. Angel is really good (excluding that horrid 4th season and what they did to Cordelia in there). Also Angel and Wesley hooked up with adults in there. I keep forgetting that tey didn't in Buffy :/ Also, Warren is great. He shows us that "Gun" is more powerful than "beating up the slayer with fists"

Oh Tara, that death scene was so good… I actually managed to experience it twice, I watched it really young and forgot about the twists in later seasons. And then I watched it recently and it got me in the feels again. It still hurts…

Wesley is actually one of my favorite characters in the whole buffyverse because of his whole arc in Angel. Faith's arc is also continued in Angel and the series ties it in beautifully. She's actually my favorite character of the whole buffyverse ugh i love her so much.

Overall? Not bad, kid. I will say that watching Angel would probably change some of your opinions. Wesley, for example, is (IMO) the most well-developed character in television history. Xander is a really tough character for me to place. He has a great heart and some of the best moments in the show but he also has some problematic views that aren't challenged enough or resolved.

oh no! the temptation to RE-watch ALL of Buffy (& Angel - sadly cut short before it's time) is now so so so strong - so much new content out there to watch, but Buffy is *SO* good - (and bunnies are so very evil and dangerous ! 🐰🐇🐰)

A lot of Spike's fluctuating writing came from Joss Whedon not liking Spike but he quickly became a fan favorite and had to keep him. Spike was meant to have the first story arc he was in and then be gone for good.

Okay, the complaint about Angel is really legitimate but you should watch Angel. It's a great show, he's a good character, and man you would not BELIEVE the arc for Wesley and Cordelia on that show. It's truly insane.

The mayor is still my favorite villian. I'm stuck between either Spike or Giles being my favorite character.

I have to admit... The character of Willow left such an impact on me that my oldest daughter is named after her.

I love Spike, and I've met James Marsters and he's also a really good guy, I even asked him about Dresden and he was funnily enough the first person I spoke to in person about the series who's actually read them. Good memories.

I appreciate your reasoning for putting Xander in the Like Tier. He does grow, inconsistently, but it is there. In my heart, however, he will always get the electric chair lmao.

It's so interesting seeing how new watchers of BtVS in this time think of the show vs me with my nostalgia filled eyes view it. I was obsessed with the show when I was younger, like collected everything I could from it and valued my dvd box sets above all else haha. Spike was my all time favorite character from the show, I absolutely loved him. While some scenes it felt like Joss was personally trying to piss James off and make him miserable (we all know THAT scene), overall, he was just the best. The Buffy/Spike relationship had so many layers there and I always really enjoyed it, even if I wish we got more of it. The Angel love always pissed me off, because he was held up as a beacon of all that's good in Buffy's eyes, when he was shitty dude and went after teenagers as an evil vampire, then as good vampire, perverted that into "loving" a teenager who he had literally nothing to talk about with besides the evil they were fighting and couldn't even keep his evil in his pants. The fact that Spike went and got a soul and overcame his demon, even when he had chances to go back to being his old self...ugh, I love that. (despite the shitty way it was instigated) Looking back now there are obviously issues with the show and how some things were handled, and the icky post-reveal of Joss Whedon's...everything, but the show is so much a part of who I am now, I can't even pretend this show isn't watched with rose colored glasses haha. Buffy herself, the way they used the monsters to tell a coming of age journey for an adult was a masterstroke of genius. I do highly recommend watching Angel is you enjoyed Buffy, even if you hate Angel himself, the show makes him a lot better there. Well....sort of. lol. But a wonderful show none the less!

I understand your mixed feelings towards Spike, but just remember for the majority of the show he has no soul, which in the context of the show means he has no moral compass. Much of what Spike does, even the most reprehensible things, are a direct consequence of him trying to come to terms with his feelings while not fully being able to comprehend right from wrong. I'm pretty confident I know exactly what scene you're talking about, and while it's a painful watch, I think it's a great character moment that explores a dark subject matter. I can understand it being uncomfortable, but I don't think it can be called bad. And, if memory serves, he still has no soul at that point. I personally do buy Spike's redemption. It's a slow build through multiple seasons with a ton of ups and downs along the way, I'm not sure how else they could've done it to make it better.

I understand your reasons for not wanting to watch Angel. I would be genuinely interested in seeing how your opinion of Wesley changes based on his arc in that show though.

Daniel, can you please do other character tier lists for classic fantasy and sci fi shows from the 90's to mid 00's like Farscape, Angel, X Files, Babylon 5, Stargate SG1, Hercules, Xena, Futurama, etc. Imo the 90's to mid 00's was tv's true golden age for science fiction and fantasy shows. So much better than the mediocre sci fi and fantasy shows that we have today.

Great video, I have been waiting for this since the mix-up last week. Thank you. I missed Vampire Willow and Dark Willow characters. Bored now! I understand why you don't intend to watch Angel. I wish you would and you do have the choice to watch Angel season 1-3 just for Cordelia's arc, it is a very satisfying end for her if you stop there. Then of course there is season 5 where you get the best buddy storyline of 2003. And there are, as many others have written, so many Buffy characters getting their arcs further developed and finished in Angel. And of course, Angel is a darker more grown-up show than Butty. Fingers crossed you change your mind.

You should absolutely watch Angel, the more I get older the more I think I prefer it over Buffy (and I adore Buffy).

Wait, you read The Dresden Files BEFORE watching Buffy?? Now you have to re-read the whole series. There are HEAVY Buffy and Spike references.

Willow arguably, is also one of the best villains for me

Having seen only Buffy, I understand the placements of Cordelia and Wesley, but their arcs on Angel make them two of my favorite characters in the Buffyverse.

I loved buffy's arc from Wano . Probably some of the best moments for Buffy and the crew in this one arc. Good stuff . Bravo Oda!!!! ( Edit : Daniel .....u took away the heart you gave ......)

Gotta come to my girl Joyce's defense - she was under the influence of a (technobabble) love potion at the time that she didn't believe Buffy was being abused. She was never the perfect mom, which I think was very intentional and even called out by her when she and Buffy have it out at the beginning of Season 3, so I can appreciate people not liking her. But you can't base it on a time when there was literal mind control going on.

I can't help but think of the snarky, tell me you haven't watched Angel, without telling me you haven't watched Angel, but I'm genuinely curious if your opinion will change upon watching his spin off show, which I believe is right up your alley, given it involves supernatural detectives agencies, etc.

0:59 As someone who's only watched the Angel spinoff, that sentence hit me like a truck 🤣

I have been waiting for this!!!!

Your visceral reaction to Tara let's me know I'm in the right place. I had no idea you were even embarking on your Buffy journey, but I'm glad you did! Curious to see if you will continue into the comic seasons, I've not yet done that myself. Great video!

I think you hit did an excellent job with this list. At first I was shocked with some of your choices, but as you explained them and as the list fleshed out, I feel it really very accurate. I'd love to seem Avatar: Last Air Bender get this treatment (I'm gonna search your archives in a moment). I first watched it as a way to bond with the older children of the sibling group we adopted and got hooked. I've watched it through at least twice and maybe more watching snippets. It has some of the strongest character development I've seen and is just an awesome story, perhaps my favorite TV series ever. Thanks for doing what you do!

Angel is a really great show as well in my opinion. You're missing out by not watching it. Really enjoyed the video though!

My MAN you've gotta watch angel bro. For real it's worth the pain imo.

I'll be honest, I'm torn on Angel (the character). I absolutely understand the whole sexualising a minor thing but I think my brain just switches that criticism off because I know it's not real. I take the on-screen chemistry and writing at face value without thinking about it too hard. I can't really justify it logically, but it just doesn't bother me when I actually watch the show because it's not a realistic portrayal of their relative ages - at no point does it feel like there's a huge age gap, even though on paper there is, so my brain just doesn't register it. All that said, I really think you should watch Angel (the show). It adds some much needed development to the side characters from Buffy, expands the world in interesting ways and gives Angel a chance to shine without the Buffy relationship being the core of who he is on screen.

Adding my voice to the chorus of people saying to watch Angel. In my opinion it's the better show in spite of some poor writing decisions here and there (probably mostly Joss's fault). If you made it through Buffy, there's no reason to swear off Angel. Definitely don't miss out on it, as it has the best characters and arcs in the Buffyverse.

I would argue Angel is better on his own show than Buffy.

Top tier considering both Angel and Buffy: Wesley, Spike, Cordy (despite her character assassination in ATS Season 4)

Didn't know I needed this.

Damn, this was a real trip down memory lane! Some of the characters here really gave me flashbacks, one ones I hadn't thought about in a long time, such as Adam, the principle, Glory, etc..

I watched as it was coming out. Good twir list.

I do you hope you give angel a try. I always loved what they did with the characters.

Warren: the Kai Winn (Star Trek DS9) of Buffy. A character you HATE because they are written & performed SO well

spike position breaks my heart, but i get it. now tell me ur opinion of buffy learning she has to die against the master, and the episode of the body, and hush, the beauty of i only have eyes for you, the ending of season 5. and u have to watch angel! bloody puppet! faith! loren! the finale!

I watched an interview with James Marsters and Joss Whedon hated that he became a series regular. Joss wanted him to have a guest roll and then die but the fans loved him so much the network wanted to bring him back and Joss was so against it and mad that he treated James like shit on set. He told a story how Joss shoved him against the wall and basically told him if he had it his way he'd have been dead. He was telling that story in response to a question he was asked about Charisma Carpenter making her accusations and if he ever experienced anything like that. I'm suprised the whole cast was able to put out the performances they did with such a tyrant of a director.

Willow is a character I have a love/hate relationship with because she's a big example of bi-erasure.

Some interesting choices there... :P I get the reasoning behind most of them though, even if I don't agree. But I Will Not Stand for this injustice to Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, one of the GOAT characters in genre TV history! ;-) I've always preferred Angel (the show), for my money it got consistently better over 5 seasons, compared to Buffy's ups and downs from year to year. Sadly, the recent revelations about what was happening behind the scenes has tainted what was once one of my favourite TV shows... :'(

I don't even watch Buffy and this was fun lol! Also, nice little Tierzoo easter egg at the start!

Damn fine list, sir. 👌

I think angel said it best about spikes redemption. It was something to the effect of you spent a couple days hallucinating and now you get forgiven for everything and get to walk around with a clear conscience. That's bs I went to hell and spent a hundred years trying to atone.

I do think you should check out Angel, I totally get your problems with his character but it also expands a lot on Cordelia and Wesley, while there are a few minutes the writing shits the bed with those characters those are only a few moments out of five seasons which are otherwise of a very solid quality. It also gives us Lorne, who never fails to make me smile whenever hes on screen. Then again I did last watch Buffy when I was like 14 so maybe my views would change if I watched again as an adult

While I agree Xander is not in the same tier as Buffy and Willow and Giles I think the writing at least some of it was intentional and not inconsistent. Xander constantly battled with “I’m the third wheel” compared to buffy and willows smarts and Witchery. He was the “normal” guy and with that he was flawed. Some of his choices and comments sucked but you also could understand where he was coming from. Even if it fluctuates between Xander wanting to be a part of the scoobies, and him lashing out and being a bit of an ass at times.

It's a shame you won't watch Angel. Aside from season 4 it's fantastic.

The angel series is amazing. id watch it if i were you

Hi daniel all of these opinions are 100% correct. Thank you.

After a decade of watching and re-watching and then re-watching after therapy... Spike is top-tier. Large in part to James Marsters performance, but also in some part to the writing. He is the only one who doesn't try to argue Buffy out of her emotions (provide scathing commentary, yes, but argue or gaslight, no). He just lets her have her emotions, sitting quietly, being there for her (I'm not counting during their affair, that was several levels of messed up that undermined Spike's development to that point, thanks Joss 😖). I agree that Buffy declined in the last couple of seasons partly due to the actress starting to burn out, but to me it actually seems honest character-wise, the constant undermining and questioning of her feelings from Willow and Xander and Giles... been there and it totally flattens you from the inside out. Hate Xander because when Spike says he loves Buffy, Xander immediately projects and makes it sexual (I mean, it was on some level for Spike, but like all his early efforts are so sincere and dorky and very William, not sexual advances) and he also pressures Buffy into making it work with Riley who freaking cheated on her. Hate Willow for abusing Tara and generally being self-absorbed. And screw Giles for abandoning Buffy at her emotionally weakest, that wiped out all his father-figure points with fire. I wish Spike, Tara, and Anya took Dawn and left the Scoobies' abuse and neglect when things started to fall apart S6 and lived happily ever after.

i love how you say it's been out for more than a decade, it premiered 25 years ago, you were a toddler when it first came out.

Wow lol this vid probably no one expected or was asking for right now but damn what a wonderful trip down memory lane

Nailed it

Watch Angel for Fred, ITS ALL ABOUT FRED >.

Can you watch Angel next? Really interesting to see a review for that.

I went through High school watching this show when it first came out and Giles, Willow, Oz, Spike and Dru are my top picks. Totally agree with you on the Dawn, after her arc she felt like character bloat. Just stuck in there cause they haven't figured out how to kill her yet.

As a Buffy fan, like set my VCR to record episodes in the 90's, go to a James Marsters concert at age 13 fan, I agree with this list. Inconsistent writing and odd character choices really do influence a lot with this series. Was it perfect? Hell no. Is Joss Whedon horrible enough that I regretted my tattoos for a month or so? Yes. But this is still my go to comfort show. Admittedly, I put Spike at the top tier but I choose to ignore some of the VERY stupid choices made there. A++ Daniel.

I would love to see a list like this after you watch Angel.

I adore BTVS but I think your assessment is fair. Giles, Drusilla and Spike are my top tier. I think you missed one though - a fun villain sidekick - Mr Trick, I kind of liked him.

@Daniel Greene this is REALLY RANDOM but I watched your malazan sereis review and really LOVED the music in the background. Could you or anyone here by any chance tell me what the music was called? As I am currently reading through malazan and would love to also listen to the backing track

"A mixture of fine wine and stinky cheese" really made me smile. Thank you so much for doing this! You articulated some things that I've had a hard time articulating. Can't wait to hear any further thoughts you have! Some of these characters are explored in really interesting ways in Angel, which you've said you won't watch. I'd say you're only really missing out on the character Fred, the law firm as a villain, some amazing performances from Buffy characters, and on the character Lorne and his cheesy empath karaoke. However, the show can be pretty tedious at times and there are definitely some troubling tropes.

You should do more Buffy!!!

Pretty good evaluation. I'd still recommend you watch Angel as there is a lot of good stuff there despite some of the crap.

This might be nostalgia talk as i havent seen Buffy for over a decade, but Spike had some of the rawest lines in the series, "You were cursed with your soul, I fought for mine!" And maybe because its James Marsters. But he deserves the Love ranking and i will fight you on that.

Totally agree! Although, Spike will always be my favorite character!

I agree with your list. Especially Spike, but it makes sense. In interviews, James Marsters has said that Joss Whedon hated that people loved Spike so much because he was forced to have him in more episodes (Spike was supposed to die after season 1, I believe). So it makes sense what Joss Whedon did to Spike's character. Also, screw Angel. Don't know why people love him so much...

Spike is my favorite character in the buffyverse, though I will admit a lot of my opinion also extends to Angel. I actually really liked the noir elements of Angel and thought it was stronger than the later seasons of Buffy.

You should definitely give Angel a watch aswell!

Some characters develop a lot more in Angel (Wes and Harmony) but your list is pretty solid. The Mayor will always have a special place in my heart. 😈😈

We need a tier list of all the one piece characters

As a buffy fan, i am so glad to see thios video any chance you saw Angel also ?? it is quite decent

You really need to watch Angel, not just because it fills in storylines that both start and end in Buffy. Your opinion of Darla, and especially Wesley will change drastically. Both characters go through amazing growth there.

In my opinion Spike is a great representation of a morally gray character, definitely my favorite male character in the series Giles being my second. Willow is the best Female character I watched the show more for her story line!

Okay big ask but can you watch Angel and then do another tier list by monday great thanks. But serious Love the content and I think you like angel the show and all it brings to the world.

Since you put a tier list for Buffy, I want to see you put a tier list on Van Helsing.

You finally watched my favorite show of all time!!

To be fair to Angel, he didn't randomly decide to stalk Buffy because he might have a crush on her. Whistler asked him to do it in order for Angel to get to know her and decide if he wanted to protect her.

Could've sworn I sat down to watch this last week... must've been the wind.

Mel: Yay, ranking Buffy characters. I had fun watching. The only thing I would have changed is to put Xander into the "Like" category. He has some great moments but he can also be a little toxic. I enjoyed watching Passion of a Nerd's take on Buffy episodes too. Thank you so much. Had a good time watching this.