Buffy Summers was pretty much the most popular heroine of the late 90s and early 2000s. She saved the day on a weekly basis for seven years and acted as a role model for young children and teenagers all over the globe. Everyone wanted to be her and everyone rooted for her to succeed.
Buffy usually lived up to everyone's extremely high expectations, but she did have her limit. As Buffy The Vampire Slayer progressed, Buffy's actions and decisions occasionally started to become questionable. The weight of the world was on Buffy's shoulders, and sometimes, it was too much for her to bear.
Her Relationship With Angel
For many Buffy fans, the titular character's relationship with brooding vampire Angel was the best relationship on the show. However, if one examines Buffy's actions while she was with Angel, one can see that Buffy changed, and possibly not for the better.
Buffy and Angel were always arguing over the former's mortality. While this was a valid point, it got tired really quickly. Also, Angel indirectly caused Buffy to turn against her friends when she lied to them about Angel returning in Season 3.
She Treated The Scooby Gang Terribly
For the first couple of seasons, Buffy, Willow, Xander, and the rest of the Scooby Gang got on incredibly well, bar a few arguments about hurt feelings and that sort of thing. However, after their friendship had been fully cemented, things started to get a little bit ugly.
Buffy was a fearless leader, because she had to be. If she couldn't handle the situations that were thrown at her, then the world would end. However, that did mean that she began to sideline the Scoobies, especially during Season 4 and Season 7.
Her Relationship With Spike
The other half of the fandom that didn't like Buffy with Angel, absolutely shipped Buffy and Spike. While this was an exciting direction for the show to take Buffy's character in, it just wasn't Buffy. Buffy was going through a lot and her and Spike was a symptom rather than a cure.
Spike was even introduced to the series as the new Big Bad, providing Buffy with a formidable opponent in the process. Buffy hated Spike. Therefore, when she began to have disturbing sex with him, fans were confused and unsure what to make of it.
Her Treatment Of Riley
Buffy's relationship with Riley was widely condemned by fans and critics for being too dull. In any other world, Riley would have been perfect for Buffy, but since his main competition were two formerly evil vampires, his charm and charisma just wasn't enough.
However, Buffy still treated him poorly. Throughout Season 4, the couple remained on good , but for the first half of Season 5, Buffy acted as though he was merely an afterthought, even going so far as to confide in Spike before Riley.
Turning Against Giles
Giles and Buffy shared a close relationship for the entire series of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Giles was Buffy's Watcher, and also acted as her surrogate father. This is why it was always particularly upsetting when the two of them fell out.
During Season 7, Giles arrived in Sunnydale to help Buffy fight the First. However, he soon realized that Spike was distracting Buffy so he arranged to have him killed. Buffy found out and practically disowned him, which appeared a tad ungrateful after everything he taught her.
Her Depression
Season 6 of Buffy was, without a doubt, the darkest season of all. Buffy herself had died in the previous season's finale, and was resurrected in the Season 6 premiere by Willow, whose increasing dependence on magic also went on to become a major storyline.
However, Buffy was actually dragged out of Heaven, so she went into a deep depression for the season. While depression is a very serious mental illness, Buffy was completely different. She hurt herself, her friends, and even her enemies, and it was tough to see her that way.
Her Relationship With Faith
Faith and Buffy had one of the most complex relationships of the entire show. Faith was originally an ally of the Scooby Gang, until she switched sides and became one of their most dangerous enemies. However, she eventually came back and sought to atone for her misdeeds.
Unfortunately, Buffy made a point of not forgetting what Faith had done, and she certainly didn't forgive her either. Faith had done some awful things, but she was clearly in pain. Angel recognized this and helped her, but all Buffy wanted was vengeance, which was a far cry from who she once was.
She Was No Longer Free And Fun Loving
While Buffy remained essentially the same throughout the show's run, there's no denying that she was a much happier and quirkier character for the first few seasons, compared to the last. There was even a Season 1 episode based on Buffy becoming a cheerleader.
The younger Buffy still fought vampires and demons, and suffered teen angst (thanks to Angel) but she still knew how to have fun. The older Buffy had changed slightly. She had been through so much, and thanks to the Potential Slayers, she had more responsibilities than ever.
Her Personality In Season 7
Since Season 7 came directly after the season in which Buffy had been struggling with depression, it's easy to think that the old Buffy was back. And certainly, Buffy had regained some of her chirpiness and trademark wit and humor.
However, thanks to her new leadership role, Buffy also developed an edge. She wasn't afraid to insult a dead Potential after she had committed suicide, and gave long, ranting speeches to her friends in an effort to rally them all together, which was even made fun of in the show.
She Hung Out With Willow And Xander Less
No matter who came and went, Buffy, Willow, and Xander will always be the original Scooby Gang. They became friends during Buffy's first day at Sunnydale High, and have never been apart since. However, as one grows up, one tends to drift apart.
In the case of these three, they didn't go very far, but it was still obvious to anyone who was looking. Buffy started to spend less and less time with her best friends as the show went on, which sucked, as the bond between Buffy, Willow, and Xander was one of the highlights of the series.