Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Ranking Every Major Death Worst To Best

In one of the show's most out-of-the-blue scenes, a defeated Warren Mears turns a gun on Buffy and Xander and, in his escape, shoots Tara Maclay right in front of her girlfriend Willow.

Willow and Tara had just reconciled, Willow had stopped using magic, and at that point Tara was unquestionably the most innocent character left in the entire show. Tara's death may have been controversial at the time, but it did bring out Dark Willow and served as a startling reminder that Buffy the Vampire Slayer was still not a show to take things lightly.

Harsh and divisive, the death doesn't sit right with the majority of fans to this day. From a purely dramatic standpoint, though, Tara's death was an absolutely inspired decision, as it was the only thing that would ever lead to Willow embracing the dark arts and seeking revenge.