10 Most Gut-Wrenching Buffy The Vampire Slayer Moments From Buffy The Vampire Slayer

There were a number of character deaths throughout Buffy's seven season run, some more emotional than others, but none quite like Taras. Coming completely out of the blue, this departure shocked fans like we hadn’t seen before on the show.

Earlier on in the season, Tara and Willow’s relationship had become estranged due to the latter's addiction to magic, but they were finally getting back to how they were. This lasted less than one episode. One. Until the big villain at the time, Warren, attempted to shoot Buffy and inadvertently shot Tara through a window too. Buffy survived but Tara didn’t and fans were left with no warning that Tara wouldn’t survive the end of that episode. Seeing Willow holding her dead girlfriend’s corpse and trying everything to bring her back – to no avail – was so difficult to watch.

Willow was generally the most upbeat, positive character of the show. Tara’s death and her Dark Willow storyline completely changed that. To see an optimistic character take such a dark turn was the icing on the gut-wrenching cake.