10 Best Character Arcs In Buffy The Vampire Slayer & Angel

Over the course of 12 seasons, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel introduced audiences to a wide variety of complex and ever-changing characters. Each major player in Joss Whedon's supernatural universe went through the wringer, and nearly all came out the other side stronger and more developed than they were before.

The following 10 characters were subject to the most impressive arcs in the franchise, whether they were evil vampires who learned how to be a good man, a shy overachiever who grew into an all-powerful witch, a former demon who attempted to integrate herself into society, or a high school mean girl who found a purpose in life beyond her need for acceptance.

There have been dozens of characters to grace Buffy and Angel, and so some of the other fan favourites who didn't make the top ten will have to be relegated to honourable mentions: There was Darla, the vampire who was resurrected as a human and gave her life for her child; Rupert Giles, the watcher and father figure who learned to let his Slayer go off on her own; and Xander Harris, the funny sidekick who kept the gang together through thick and thin.

With that out a way, here are the 10 best character arcs in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off.

It's fair to say that Dawn Summers, introduced in season five as Buffy's younger sister, is the most divisive character in the franchise. Of course, much of the hate she receives is barely justified. Sure, she was loud, whiny, and a kleptomaniac, but she was also a ball of energy known as The Key, created to open a demon dimension that would bring about the end of the world.

All I'm saying is, maybe it's time to cut her some slack.

Dawn spends season five coming to terms with the fact that she's not technically real, and by the end of the season is willing to give up her life to save everyone. She also learns to think of Buffy as her real sister, and over the next two seasons grapples with her new life, her emotionally distant sibling, and her lack of parental figures.

By the end of the show, the vast majority of her annoying habits had disappeared, and she proved to be a selfless hero in her own right. Hers was not a overly complex arc, looking at it as a whole, but it was low-key one of Buffy's most subtle and effective.