Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Every Character Ranked Worst To Best

Tara Maclay placing above Oz is not me picking sides in the Oz/Tara debate, but rather making a point that whilst they're both great characters, Tara gets a lot more time to shine, grow, and affect the outcome of the show's bigger plots.

A endearingly shy witch who meets Willow during the early days of college, Tara was shown to be both very powerful and a great match for her fellow wicca. She was caring and loyal without fault, and proved more than once - saving Buffy from Faith's body-switch plot, helping Willow escape the evil Gentlemen - to be a worthy addition to the gang.

Watching her grow from timid and introverted to one of the gang's most dependable mainstays and Willow's girlfriend was a fantastic development to see play out, even if it was hard to watch during Willow's troubling magic addiction.

Though she was slightly sidelined during her final moments on the show, Tara was an undeniably wholesome aspect of the series, and the fact that her death still hurts after all this time is a testament to her enduring likability and untampered innocence.