Even though the series has been off the air for years, Buffy the Vampire Slayer maintains a surprisingly large group of devoted fans. The story continuing in comic book form has certainly helped that situation dramatically. But what hooked fans into the series in the first place was its trademark combination of vampire-butt-kicking action and teenage romantic angst.
Any fan of the series would happily it that BTVS was the kind of series that drew fans in with action, but kept them through tons of onscreen drama. As such, there were a lot of relationships that came to an end, some fans still haven't gotten over.
Willow Rosenberg And Tara Maclay
For a lot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans, there are some things that are still hard to accept. The death of Tara Maclay in Season 6 when an errant bullet meant for Buffy struck her remains a huge one.
The relationship between Willow and Tara was a key component of the series. They had actually broken up before Tara's death due to Willow's magic addiction issues. This was already difficult enough for fans. Tara's death as they were reconciling was just too much,
Spike And Drusilla
When Angel was known as Angelus, he was part of an impressively evil group of vampires that included Darla, Spike, and Drusilla. Even after Angel got his soul back, Spike and Drusilla continued to inflict evil on the world for a long time.
It's hard to argue that they made a good couple. A dysfunctional, violent, blood-thirsty couple, but a good one nonetheless. While it can be hard to tell, whatever Drusilla es off for a heart was broken when her relationship with Spike ended.
Rupert Giles And Jenny Calendar
Everyone deserves to find someone to love, including Buffy's mentor and de facto father figure Rupert Giles. Assigned to her as her new Watcher in Sunnydale, it was his job to help guide her into a life as the Slayer.
But Giles also had a life outside of this. For a time, he found love with Jenny Calendar. Their relationship fell apart when he discovered that she was sent to spy on Angel, which was rough for fans. Jenny was killed by Angelus before Giles and Jenny could reconcile fully.
Buffy Summers And Spike
Throughout the run of the series, Buffy had relationships with different men. Most of them were part of her Slayer world in some fashion, which was probably for the best as they needed to be able to defend themselves from all manner of evil threats.
But her relationship with Spike was difficult at best. While he claimed to love her, and may have in his own way, it was still an extremely unhealthy, abusive relationship. Fans were happy when it was over, but were sad that it wasn't a better relationship.
Xander Harris And Cordelia Chase
When fans first got to know Cordelia Chase, she was the school's chief resident mean girl. Cordelia had no love for the Scooby Gang, and definitely did not like Buffy. Despite the things he said, Xander still had a crush on her, though.
Xander and Cordelia eventually became a couple, and Cordelia also became a full-fledged member of the gang. Oddly enough, Xander was the one who screwed it up by cheating on her with Willow. It was a rough end to a relationship that actually worked.
Spike And Harmony Kendall
Cordelia wasn't the only mean girl in Buffy's school. She was part of a squad of popular girls who made the day-to-day life of various students a living hell. One of the worst was Harmony Kendall, a vapid Valley Girl type who no one really liked.
Harmony became a vampire on graduation day and found herself in a relationship with Spike. It was easily the funniest relationship in the series as it didn't make any sense. Ignoring the vampire aspects, Spike and Harmony were opposites. It was sad when it ended.
Willow Rosenberg And Daniel "Oz" Osbourne
Oz and Willow weren't exactly an expected couple. He was in a band and she was hung up on someone else. But they found each other, becoming one of the more stable relationships on the series. After becoming a werewolf, Oz left town to figure out to control his condition.
He returned with the intent of rekindling his romance with Willow only to discover that she had come out as a lesbian and was in a loving relationship with Tara. While it was sad when Oz and Willow ended, Tara and Willow's romance more than made up for it.
Buffy Summers And Riley Finn
To her credit, Buffy did try to date men who weren't demons or vampires. It just never worked out well given the odd hours of her job and the almost constant attacks by demons and bad guys.
When she got to college, Buffy dated a young man named Riley Finn. He wasn't a vampire but he did turn out to be part of a secret government program related to fighting and studying supernatural threats. Had it worked out, this might have been good for both of them.
Xander Harris And Anya Jenkins
Cordelia's rage at Xander attracted the attention of a vengeance demon named Anyanka. She was really good at inflicting vengeance on scorned lovers, but lost her powers in Sunnydale and became Anya Jenkins.
She eventually started dating Xander and ed the Scoobies. The two of them even almost got married, though Xander pulled back at the last minute. This was heartbreaking for fans. Even worse was that Anya died in the final battle against the First Evil.
Buffy Summers And Angel
In the early seasons, the core relationship of the series was Buffy and Angel. It seems crazy now, but fans weren't aware that Angel was a vampire at first. He was just a handsome, brooding older man who had taken an interest in a high school girl. Honestly, that's kind of gross.
Somehow, Angel being a vampire made the situation less creepy. There was a belief that the duo was destined to be together but things didn't work out that way. Angel moving to Los Angeles and leaving Buffy behind was the end of their relationship, which upset fans deeply.