For a show called Buffy the Vampire Slayer, there are surprisingly few memorable vampires in Buffy. There are far more demons, monsters, and other supernatural nasties for the Slayer to contend with, and plenty of the vampires she encounters are little more than disposable minions. However, Buffy features some genuinely memorable members of the undead, from ancient monsters with centuries of experience to surprisingly inept former high-school students.
The major Buffy vampires aren’t necessarily the strongest, either. Some are important to the story because of their supernatural abilities, while others pose far more danger because of their intelligence, cruelty, or ability to exploit Buffy’s weaknesses. Others are simply too entertaining to forget. From the Master and Angelus to Harmony Kendall and the cowboy vampires, this is every major vampire in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
16
Harmony Kendall
Over the course of Buffy, Harmony transforms from one of Cordelia’s insipid yes-girls to the vacuous queen bee herself, before becoming a rather uninspiring vampire. She’s one of the many casualties of the Mayor’s Ascension and found that being undead does remarkably little to change her personality. It doesn’t give her any particularly impressive abilities either, or even bring her competence levels up to, well, competent.
Harmony spends most of her undead existence trying to cozy up to more powerful vampires, in particular Spike, who never treats her as anything more than a mild annoyance. She does eventually gain some minions of her own but quickly loses them as her bratty personality gets on their nerves. Throughout her 48 appearances in Buffy and Angel, Harmony is more comic relief than a serious threat to Buffy, but her survival and eventual independence make her an entertaining, if annoying, character.
15
Lyle & Tector Gorch
Inspired by the outlaw brothers from The Wild Bunch, Lyle and Tector Gorch are Texan brothers who bring an Old West sensibility to Sunnydale, complete with cowboy hats, guns, and a taste for violence. The pair had a brutal past as humans and had massacred an entire village, though Lyle and Tector aren’t exactly intelligent or tactically brilliant. In their one appearance together in Season 2, Episode 12, “Bad Eggs,” they don’t even have a plan. Instead, they spend much of the episode hiding in the sewers, eating rats, and waiting for an opportunity to attack Buffy.
However, the Gorch brothers’ age, experience, and willingness to use brutal force make them a more dangerous threat than some of the one-and-done vampires in Buffy. The pair initially hunt Buffy together, confronting her while the school is overrun by students possessed by the Bezoar. Tector is ultimately swallowed by the creature, leaving Lyle to escape and return in Season 3’s “Homecoming.” Lyle enters SlayerFest ’98, but eventually flees after his wife is killed. Their reputations are more impressive than their eventual results, but the Gorch brothers are memorable examples of the older, violent vampire underworld beyond Sunnydale’s usual inhabitants. Lyle achieves the rare feat of fighting Buffy twice and surviving, and as a result, the Gorch family became a bigger part of Buffy lore in tie-in comics.
14
The Anointed One
Known as Collin before his transformation, the Anointed One was no ordinary vampire in Buffy. According to the ancient Writings of Aurelius, he was destined to become the Master’s great warrior, rise during a time of crisis, and lead the Slayer into Hell. The prophecy even foretold that he would be a child, making his true identity easier to overlook when Buffy and Giles initially investigated the vampire attack that created him. While Buffy mistakenly believed that another newly risen vampire was the prophesied figure, the Master had already welcomed Collin into his inner circle.
Despite only appearing in six episodes, the Anointed One’s importance comes less from any fighting ability and more from his ancient ability, supernatural power, and position as the Master’s chosen successor. His young age and innocent appearance make him an unsettling contrast to the monstrous vampires surrounding him, though Spike was able to quickly and unceremoniously kill him off. Still, in the time Buffy fans saw him, he assumed command of the remaining Order of Aurelius, rallied surviving vampires, and worked with Absalom to organize an attempt to resurrect their former leader. Buffy never allowed him to demonstrate the full extent of his abilities, but he was still hugely important to the show’s lore.
13
Luke
Luke is one of the Master’s most trusted and formidable enforcers, serving as his chosen warrior and a major figure in the vampire ritual known as the Harvest. He’s strong enough to overwhelm Buffy during their first encounter, making him one of the most daunting opponents from Buffy’s early episodes. The Master selects him as his vessel, meaning he will absorb the energy transferred from vampires killed during the Harvest and transfer it to the Master, which would allow him to grow strong enough to escape from his underground prison. Luke’s status as an ancient vampire, high kill count, position within the Order of Aurelius, and role in the Master’s plan establish him as one of the most important vampires in Buffy Season 1. When Buffy survives her fight with Luke, the Master asks him about the last time something like this happened:
“1843, Madrid. He caught me while I was sleeping.”
Buffy eventually defeats Luke by fooling him into believing a spotlight is the sun, and his death is a pivotal moment in the early stages of the Slayer’s career. It’s a major Season 1 storyline, and although he only appears in the opening two episodes, he’s one of the earliest examples of the extraordinary strength some vampires can possess and the most significant weapon in the Master’s first attempt to break free.
12
Sunday
Sunday is one of the cooler enemies Buffy faces; the laid-back, hipster vampire with a dry sense of humor leads a gang that preys on new students at UC Sunnydale in Season 4’s “The Freshman.” By targeting first-years, the group can explain their victims’ disappearances by claiming they’ve simply dropped out of college. They even collect artistic posters from their victims, most of whom apparently have a Monet or Klimt print in their rooms. It’s a wonderfully mundane detail that gives the group and its leader a very distinct personality.
When the group targets Buffy, she is at a particularly low ebb, but this is their entire M.O. — preying on victims when they are at their most vulnerable and isolated. Sunday proves herself as a capable fighter by besting Buffy in their first confrontation and even stealing her favorite jacket. Her ability to recognize and exploit Buffy’s uncertainty makes her a more interesting opponent than a typical vampire-of-the-week, and she serves as a perfect representation of the difficulty Buffy faces while adjusting to college. Sunday strikes a deep psychological nerve with Buffy, but that doesn’t prevent her from becoming a hugely popular character; some fans have even theorized that she’s a “Slaypire,” a Slayer-turned-vampire.
11
Zachary Kralik
Zachary Kralik might be the most purely terrifying vampire on this list. The former serial killer is one of the most dangerous vampires Buffy faces in Season 3, not least because he’s chosen by the Watchers’ Council as the opponent for her eighteenth-birthday Cruciamentum. Pre-vampirism, Kralik tortured and killed numerous women before being declared psychologically insane, and his transformation only made him more dangerous. His particular cruelty and obsession with his victims also make him a disturbing adversary, with his own mother among the people he killed.
Kralik may have only appeared in one episode, “Helpless,” but his importance goes beyond his sole appearance. He kills two Watchers, kidnaps Buffy’s mother, and constructs a house of horrors for the weakened Slayer to navigate. He doesn’t possess many extraordinary supernatural abilities, but his intelligence and psychological cruelty make him a formidable opponent. When Buffy replaces his water with holy water, she proves she can outsmart a dangerous vampire without her usual abilities. The ordeal becomes a major turning point in Buffy: it exposes the Watchers’ Council’s willingness to endanger Slayers and leads to Giles being fired after he chooses Buffy over the Council.
10
Vampire Willow
In the alternate reality of “The Wish,” the Master’s plans come to fruition: the Hellmouth opens, and Sunnydale is overrun with vampires, including much more sinister versions of Willow and Xander, who are now high-ranking members of the Master’s order. This Willow is poles apart from the usually sweet-natured, shy character fans know and love. Even Willow says:
“I’m so evil, and skanky, and I think I’m kinda gay”.
Vampire Willow is a particularly effective, sadistic villain, with a distinctly unsettling enthusiasm for being evil. When she crosses into the regular timeline in “Doppelgangland,” her encounter with the original Willow creates one of Buffy’s most entertaining and iconic character contrasts. The original Willow is horrified by her counterpart’s behavior, while Vampire Willow seems rather taken with the idea of having a double.
9
Kakistos
Kakistos is one of the oldest and most brutal vampires Buffy ever encounters, so much so that his age has visibly changed his body: his hands and feet have become cloven, giving him an almost animalistic appearance. Unfortunately, Buffy introduces Kakistos in the same episode as Faith and Mr. Trick, who somewhat overshadow him. On paper, though, he is a truly imposing villain who can withstand normal-sized stakes and has a particularly fearsome reputation among other vampires.
Kakistos is important because of his connection to Faith. He tracked her down after she scarred him in an earlier encounter, then brutally killed her Watcher (“they don’t have a word for what he did to her”), leaving Faith so traumatized that she fled to Sunnydale. When he finds her there, Buffy helps her confront the vampire she’s been running from. He’s powerful, difficult to kill, and establishes Faith’s backstory, making him more of a significant Buffy vampire than fans often give him credit for.
8
Darla
The first vampire fans meet in Buffy the Vampire Slayer is Darla, who possesses centuries of experience, considerable fighting ability, and an impressive survival instinct. She’s frequently a thorn in the Scooby Gang’s side and possesses a cunning that some of the more imposing acolytes don’t have. Darla’s skills and talents are a lot more elusive and subtle: she can wrap Angel around her little finger, can even manipulate the Master, who clearly favors her above his other followers, and consistently deceives the Buffy characters around her.
It’s the contrast between Darla’s innocent, almost angelic human appearance and the ruthlessness beneath the surface that makes her such a compelling villain. She’s particularly dangerous because she knows how to exploit others, rather than simply overpower them. Her relationship with Angel also gives her a personal connection to one of Buffy‘s central vampire characters, while her resurrection in Angel ensures that her story doesn’t end in Sunnydale.
7
Mr. Trick
Mr. Trick is probably the most underrated, underutilized character in Buffy. The forward-thinking, strategic, and humorous vampire manages to avoid a staking throughout Season 3, only to be brought down by Faith. Trick is a pragmatic, business-minded vampire who understands that the modern world offers plenty of opportunities for the undead. Unlike the ancient monsters Buffy regularly encounters, Trick is perfectly comfortable using technology, human institutions, and other people’s skills to achieve his goals. He prefers to organize events such as SlayerFest rather than get his hands dirty, but that doesn’t mean he can’t fight when necessary.
Indeed, Mr. Trick’s confrontation with Buffy in “Consequences” demonstrates that he’s more than capable of holding his own. He gets the upper hand in their fight and would likely have killed her if Faith hadn’t intervened. His fashion sense, sardonic humor, and detached, professional approach make him a refreshing change from the usual vampire villain, while his alliance with the Mayor gives him a useful place in Buffy‘s wider narrative. It’s a shame he doesn’t last longer, especially given how much potential he has as a recurring antagonist. His final words, after Faith stakes him, are fittingly understated: “Oh no. That’s no good at all.”
