Vampire Academy while others have opted for another re-watch, unable to find any other show they like quite as much.
Thanks to its availability on streaming services, there are constantly new fans encountering the franchise for the first time. Between new fans and old, the fandom continues to thrive, still creating new fanworks on a regular basis. Unfortunately, all fandoms have their points of conflict, and The Vampire Diaries is no exception. Between who should end up with whom and who would win in a fight, TVD fans have plenty of points to debate for years to come.
Does The Magic System Make Any Sense?
Bonnie discovered early in the show that she was a witch, eventually mastering several genres of magic, including Traditional Magic, Dark Magic, Expression, Spirit Magic, etc. On top of this, with The Originals and Legacies adding additional magic systems, understanding how magic actually works can get complicated.
While some fans find it relatively simple to keep the different kinds of magic straight, others think it's too chaotic, and even works against the show's world-building. This is especially true because multiple forms of magic were destroyed over the course of the franchise. It's fine for the magic to be whatever the writers need it to be, but that can break the suspension of disbelief for fans who need it to actually make sense.
Which Season Was Best?
The Vampire Diaries ran for 8 seasons, and some were certainly better than others. While fans often it that the last couple of seasons weren't great, they can't seem to decide what season was the best, especially when trying to draw in new fans or planning a rewatch.
The first two seasons felt like part of one story, which primarily focused on Mystic Falls and Katherine. However, seasons 3 and 4 were then the Mikaelson saga, which expanded the lore in fascinating ways. Depending on whether fans prefer the classic teen drama storylines, the world-building, or the more adult concerns of later seasons, there are a lot of options for the most re-watchable season.
Heroes Or Villains?
While many fans were in love with the sweet romance between Elena and Stefan, others were rooting for the bad guys all along. The Vampire Diaries has a wealth of engaging villains, and the love for them is clear given how excited viewers were each time they returned.
There are fans who manage to balance a love for the heroes and villains, as the show often does, but many land firmly on one side or another. There are those who root for characters like Elena, Bonnie, Jeremy, and Matt—who are pretty definitely heroes—and then those who relish in the schemes of villains like Katherine, Klaus, and Kai. For those who can't choose, there's always Damon, who can successfully play either role.
Who Was The Main Character?
While it may seem obvious that Elena was the main character of The Vampire Diaries, the fact that the show survived two seasons without her suggests that others deserve the title. However, what other characters could fill that role is up for debate.
The most obvious alternative to Elena is Stefan, who is also a doppelgänger, writes the titular vampire diaries, and gets the sacrificial play. However, some fans don't think he deserves the title, as he didn't get nearly the character growth of other characters, like Damon and Caroline.
Should The Show Have Continued After Nina Dobrev Left?
Very few shows continue on after their leads leave, but The Vampire Diaries had two more seasons after the loss of Nina Dobrev, who played Elena Gilbert as well as her doppelgangers Katherine Pierce, Tatia, and Amara.
Putting Elena into a coma that could only be broken by Bonnie's death was a brilliant way to deal with this loss, but many felt it left the show fragmented. After spending so long building up Delena, Damon's storylines suffered. However, it also gave other characters the chance to shine and gave more weight to Kai's revenge.
Which Species Is Most Powerful: Witch, Werewolf, Or Vampire?
In most situations, the supernatural community is occupied by witches, vampires, and werewolves, each with their own unique strengths and weaknesses. Naturally, fans are likely to consider which of the three is the most powerful, a question that is hard to answer definitively.
Vampires have rapid healing, enhanced strength and speed, and immortality on their side, but are vulnerable to sunlight, stakes to the heart, and werewolf bites. Werewolves have similar strengths, but are ultimately mortal and generally have no control over their transformations. Finally, witches are limited to human physicality, though they have magic at their fingertips to use against their opponents. In a fight, any of the three could come out on top, depending on the time of the month and the creativity of each combatant.
Are The Spin-Offs As Good As The Vampire Diaries?
The Vampire Diaries universe got the chance to expand by following the Mikaelson family to New Orleans in The Originals and then moving into the future of Mystic Falls with Legacies. Fans followed the writers and characters through each new show, trusting that they would receive interesting stories in return. But multiple spinoffs innately prompt comparisons.
Was The Originals as good as The Vampire Diaries? According to IMDb, it was better, with its rating half a point higher than its predecessor. But many fans would contest that, saying its plots were too convoluted, and that its characters were not as interesting. Likewise, many fans vastly prefer the original to Legacies, while others like how much Legacies expanded the supernatural world and how much more accurately it represented teenagers.
Should The TVD Universe Continue?
Now that the story that began in Mystic Falls has been relatively According to Julie Plec, there are more shows in the works for this universe, though they would focus on a different group of supernatural characters. However, this announcement has fans asking whether that's a good idea.
While Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin has proven that spin-offs like Plec mentioned can work out well, many fans already thought Legacies weakened the strength of the original series, and a new show could further hurt the franchise. On the other hand, it provides an opportunity for new, better stories, which TVD fans could end up loving even more than the original.
Stelena Or Delena?
When all is said and done, the most common argument TVD fans get into is whether Elena should have ended up with Stefan or Damon. While Katherine said it was okay to love them both, fans fought hard over which side should win. In many ways, it came down to how they perceived love.
Does true love make sense, like Elena and Stefan? Does it respect your wishes and feel easy? Stefan and Elena felt fated to be together, and a lot of people liked that. On the other hand, is true love chaotic, like Elena and Damon? Does it mean becoming a better person for your partner and calling them out when they're in the wrong? Damon and Elena were full of ion and fire, calling to those who want to believe love can change the world.