17. Faith
Appeared in: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel The rogue vampire slayer. The troubled one. Want. Take. Have. Faith, portrayed by Eliza Dushku, was a favourite character from the second she turned up on Buffy in season three. She the the yin to Buffy's yang, the dark to her light. In dress, in appearance, in attitude - and then, just as many a bad influence has on countless young adults throughout the years, she began to pull Buffy into her trouble-making, and everything went down hill. What was so great about Faith? Well, having lost Spike for all but a single episode of Season 3 (his initial storyline had finished in the second season), another badass was required on the show. She also vocalized what many were already beginning to think about Buffy: that despite her losses, she was spoiled, always the centre of attention despite her friends being key to her success. Beyond that, Faith had some great lines that no other character on Buffy could realistically utter, though some of the best were left for the darker, more adult-themed Angel, such as "just like riding a biker" when Faith fights again after a long lay-off. The sexual energy of Faith (see also her seduction of Spike while wearing Buffy's body) was also a welcome addition to the show, and something that certainly influenced later seasons. Towards the end of Buffy and Angel there were talks of a Faith spin-off, sadly that never came to pass, and instead we got Tru Calling and Dollhouse.