Following the often harrowing adventures of Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar), “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” remains an iconic and beloved television series even 29 years after its release. Buffy and her friends went through their fair share of hardships throughout the show’s seven seasons, and the show delivered some truly heartbreaking moments.
From the show’s first episode onward, none of the characters were safe, and these five character deaths proved to be some of the show’s most tragic moments.
1.) Angelus Kills Jenny In Season 2, Episode 17 – “Passion”
Despite being one of Buffy’s most popular love interests, Angel (David Boreanaz) wasn’t always the champion for humanity he became in later seasons. When Angel lost his soul, he became the vicious vampire Angelus, who could be incredibly cruel. In “Passion,” Angelus continues to torment Buffy and her friends, but it’s his murder of Jenny Calendar (Robia LaMorte) that truly shows just how cruel he could be.
When Giles (Anthony Head) returns home to find his home decorated with rose petals for a romantic evening, he follows the trail only to discover Jenny’s lifeless body. It’s a heartbreaking moment that remains one of the show’s most tragic events, even after the deaths that follow in later seasons.
2.) Buffy Kills Angel In Season 2, Episode 22 – “Becoming, Part 2″
In the season 2 finale, Buffy and her friends continue their fight against Angelus, as they work on a spell to restore his soul. Tragically, Willow (Alyson Hannigan) manages to restore Angel’s soul just as another demon is about to be awoken. To save the world, Buffy is forced to kill Angel, essentially sending him to Hell.
By this point in the series, Buffy has lost almost everything, and she’s so close to getting Angel back. But, ever the hero, Buffy sacrifices her lover to save the world in another one of the show’s most tragic moments.
3.) Buffy Sacrifices Herself In Season 5, Episode 22 – “The Gift”
Buffy refuses to kill her sister, Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg), to defeat the evil hell-god Glory (Clare Kramer), and eventually chooses to sacrifice herself instead. As Buffy and her friends fight to stop the impending apocalypse, Buffy realizes that her prophesied gift could be her own death.
Instead of allowing Dawn to sacrifice herself, Buffy throws herself into the portal that would have brought about the end of the world. Buffy’s friends are left devastated, and they give her a fitting epitaph that reads: “She saved the world. A lot.”
4.) Tara’s Death In Season 6, Episode 19 – “Seeing Red”
By season six, Tara (Amber Benson) had become a favorite new character among fans, and her relationship with Willow was groundbreaking for the time. Because of this and because her name was added to the opening credits, Tara’s death at Warren’s (Adam Busch) hands in “Seeing Red” remains one of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s” most shocking moments.
On a show full of vampires and demons, seeing such a strong character die from a gunshot wound makes the whole scene even more heartbreaking. Add to this Willow’s reaction and descent into dark magic, and it’s not hard to see why Tara’s death is one of the show’s most tragic moments.
5.) Buffy’s Mom Dies In Season 5, Episode 16 – “The Body”
Another death made more tragic by its realism, Buffy’s mom, Joyce Summers (Kristine Sutherland), dies of a brain aneurysm in one of the most heartbreaking television episodes of all time. Buffy’s grief is palpable when she comes home to find her mother’s lifeless body and tries to give her CPR. From there, the stripped-down episode depicts everyone’s reaction to Joyce’s sudden death, and the episode remains a poignant and relevant reflection on death even decades later.
From self-sacrifice to unpreventable tragedies, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” delivered some truly heartbreaking moments throughout its seven-season run. Even nearly thirty years later, these five moments remain some of the most memorable and tragic character deaths depicted on television, helping cement “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” as one of the most influential shows of all time.
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