Buffy and Angel have a tumultuous relationship, to say the least, in Buffy the Vampire Slayer relationship, and indeed, it is one of the most doomed-from-the-start romances throughout the entire show.

Forbidden love is at the heart of Buffy and Angel's storyline, with him being cursed with a soul. Even though this gives him the ability to genuinely love Buffy, the cost is that they can never be intimate without him losing his soul and reverting back to the evil Angelus. With Buffy having been off the air for over 20 years, it's constantly being re-assessed through more contemporary lense, and many attributes of the Buffy-Angel romance have been pointed to as toxic — with or without Angel's soul — including their age gap.

Angel Is 270 & Buffy Is 16 At The Start Of BtVS, Making Him 254 Years Older Than Her

He Was Born In 18th-Century Ireland

Angel is 270 years old at the start of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and though he speaks with an American accent, he was actually born in Galway, Ireland, in 1727. This is many, many years before his paramour, Buffy Summers, was born, which was on January 19, 1981, in Los Angeles.

Age-gap tropes in romance are often criticized as problematic, with the belief being that the older partner is grooming the younger. However, certain concessions are made when it comes to age gaps in the fantasy genre because, obviously, vampires aren't real, and we lovers of the romance genre can enjoy the forbidden love problem-free, whether it's Buffy and Angel or Twilight's Bella and Edward.

Age becoming a problem for Buffy and Angel has nothing to do with the gap between them, but with the makeup of their species.

In fact, age becoming a problem for Buffy and Angel has nothing to do with the gap between them, but with the makeup of their species. While aesthetically they look relatively similar in age at the time they were dating, the Mayor of all people brings up a very important fact — as a mortal, Buffy will age, whereas the vampire Angel will not. Alas, Buffy and Angel never made it far enough in their relationship for that to be a concern, but there is another creepy factor when it comes to their age gap.

Angel Was 26 When He Was Sired, Making His Age Gap With Buffy More Uncomfortable

Especially Because He Falls In Love With Her When She's 15

Angel being a vampire in his late 200s may be par for the fantasy romance course, but there's also the fact that he was an adult for several years when he was sired. When Darla turned Angel into a vampire in 1753, he was 26 years old, and though he was quite immature, 26 is still quite a bit older than Buffy's 16.

What's worse is that when Angel first lays eyes on Buffy, she's an even younger 15 years old. He sees her receive her calling as the Slayer, and in a scene that's supposed to be played as romantic, that's when Angel recounts first falling in love with her.

What makes it even worse is that prior to Buffy getting the news, she's outside her high school with her friends, excitedly talking about an school dance and telling them to call her. What's even more disturbing is that she's also consuming a lollipop, and while I'm sure it's not an intentional homage to Lolita, I can't unsee it.

While Buffy and Spike's relationship is all kinds of toxic, she's in her early 20s when she makes her choice, which is a big difference from being a minor.

Look, with Buffy and her friends living on a Hellmouth, dating fantastical beings is par for the course — and Angel isn't even Buffy's only vampire romance. However, while Buffy and Spike's relationship is all kinds of toxic, she's in her early 20s when she makes her choice, which is a big difference from being a minor. Ultimately, Buffy and Angel's age gap doesn't ruin the show for me when I do my Buffy the Vampire Slayer rewatches, but it does give me the occasional shudder.