The cult TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer revolved around American teenager Buffy Summers, the “chosen one” who was born into her generation as the Slayer—the Slayer powers date back to prehistoric times and have a rich lineage.

Joss Whedon’s show combined a 1990s TV favorite style of narrative with a “monster of the week” format and a standard, coming of age tale with Buffy and her friends, known as the Scooby Gang. The legend of the Slayer was introduced in season 1, building off what was developed by the 1992 movie, which saw Kristy Swanson in the role of Buffy Summers. After the events of the movie, Buffy and her mother, Joyce, settled in fictional Sunnydale, California—a departure from Buffy’s time in Los Angeles.

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From 1997-2003, totaling seven seasons, Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) was the central focus of the show, but after her death at the hands of The Master in season 1, she was no longer the only Slayer. Traditionally, a new Slayer is called upon her predecessor’s death. In Buffy’s case, Kendra was called, but met her end at the hands of the vampire Drusilla. After Kendra, Faith (Eliza Dushku) was called, and had a rivalry with the original Slayer. After season 1 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the line that started with Sineya—a prehistoric woman—was forever changed. It became even more changed after the events of season 7, which saw Buffy using magic to share her gifts with every Potential Slayer, allowing them access of their complete range of powers and abilities.

Sineya Was The First-Ever Vampire Slayer

Sineya (Sharon Ferguson) first appeared in the season 4 finale, “Restless”. She appeared to Buffy and her friends—Willow, Giles, and Xander—in their dreams after they used magic to combine into a singular entity, with each friend helping power Buffy through the enjoining spell. Buffy utilized this dangerous magic to defeat Adam, The Initiative’s version of Frankenstein’s Monster, who was created by Professor Maggie Walsh. As Adam was created using the parts of many different demons, he was a different kind of Big Bad for Buffy to face, and seemingly too powerful for her to defeat alone.

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Though “Restless” is Buffy’s first direct encounter with the first Slayer, she becomes an important part of many episodes throughout the series; she expressed the line “death is your gift” to Buffy in season 5, episode 18, “Intervention”, when Buffy went on a vision quest to figure out how to beat Glorificus. This message led Buffy to commit suicide to save in the world in the season 5 finale, “The Gift”, which was originally meant to be the series finale. Sineya’s story was elaborated on through tools known as shadow casters, which were given to Buffy by Principal Robin Wood, the son of a Slayer. The shadow casters told Buffy and the others that Sineya—and the Slayer’s powers—were a result of her being kidnapped by the Shadowmen, then chained to the earth and strengthened with the soul, heart, and spirit of a shadow demon. This created the Slayer’s line and legacy.

How Buffy (& Other Slayers’) Powers Work

Much of Buffy’s journey throughout Buffy the Vampire Slayer revolved around her personal struggles with her burden. Being a Slayer might seem like a tremendous gift, but it’s also an infinite struggle, as Slayers are cursed with dying young and often forsake things like marriage, families, and children. Robin Wood is a prime example of this; he grew up with an incredible amount of knowledge about the forces of darkness, but lost his mother at a young age. He, too, felt the burden of a Slayer’s calling.

Slayers are known for being stronger than the majority of the vampires, but their incredible training—done primarily through their assigned Watchers—gives them a distinct advantage. Vampires are not the only evil beings Slayers must fight, but they are the most common. The Slayer’s powers are primarily physical, such as increased speed, durability, agility, reflexes, faster healing, superhuman strength, stamina, senses, and the ability to connect to other Slayers via dreams.

However, Slayers must continually train to keep their skills sharply honed; they aren’t immune to gradual declines in skill if they don’t constantly stay on top of their game. They’re not immortal, and they also are susceptible to common human sicknesses. With a reboot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on the horizon, it’s unknown whether the traditions and powers of the Slayer line will change.

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About The Author


Jack Wilhelmi
(581 Articles Published)

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Jack Wilhelmi is the horror features editor at Screen Rant, and has been with the site since 2019. He is a lifelong fan of the horror genre, and loves any excuse to discuss genre-related topics, since none of his friends dare challenge him in horror trivia. He has been published on the independent horror blog Morbidly Beautiful, and has covered major genre film festivals such as Cinepocalypse in Chicago. He has also served as a judge for the Ax Wound Film Festival.

In his free time, he is a devoted dog dad to a high-spirited rescue pup named Peter Quill and enjoys volunteering with various animal rescue organizations. Jack likes to travel and explore dark tourism-related and other various haunted locations. He enjoys studying psychology, the paranormal, and will watch literally any schlocky B-movie on the planet for a laugh.

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