15 Most Shocking Buffy The Vampire Slayer Moments
12. Anya's Blink-and-You'll-Miss-It Final Stand
The final
episode of season seven was always going to have some big casualties. Looking
back, it’s actually a wonder more characters didn’t meet their end during the
battle against the First Evil and its forces.
But if losing numerous new Slayers and seeing Spike sacrifice himself to save the world wasn’t enough, lovable demon-turned-human Anya Jenkins meets a cruel, unceremonious end near the end of the battle.
She is seen with Andrew, another redeemed villain, fighting off the Bringers in the high school’s corridors, putting up a great fight and cutting down many opponents. Then, out of nowhere and without time to stop and comprehend what has happened, Anya is viciously stabbed from behind.
Her body is later seen (again briefly) when the battle is over and Xander tries looking for her. Covered in rubble, her eyes wide and dead, it quickly hammers home the fact she’s gone. It was a brave end, sure, but so sudden and callous you can’t help but curse Joss Whedon (and not for the first time) for his trouble.