Witches have long been used in pop culture as a metaphor for female empowerment, so it’s no surprise that Buffy the Vampire Slayer — which is famous for its feminist themes — had a lot of witchy characters. One of the Buffyverse’s best ever character arcs, for instance, belongs to Buffy’s best friend, Willow Rosenberg, whose gradual mastery over the mystical mirrored Buffy’s own growing understanding of her Slayer abilities.
Aside from Willow, Buffy features a number of other witches across its seven seasons, some of whom were enemies and some of whom were allies. While the rules of how magic works in the Buffyverse aren’t particularly well-defined, comparing the various skills and talents of the witches seen on the show proves that some magic-users were naturally gifted with that power while others were able to teach themselves and learn the (witch)craft that way. As ranked by the superiority of their spell-casting and the might of their magical feats, here are the strongest witches in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
7
Jenny Calendar Combined Her Knack for Magic and Tech
Jenny Calendar is a unique kind of witch in the Buffyverse as she identifies as a “technopagan.” This gloriously ’90s term basically means that she is a magic user who prefers to utilize modern technology to study and learn spells instead of relying on traditional grimoires and codexes. Jenny admitted that she did not have the power of a witch, but when it came to occult knowledge, she was second to none (well, maybe Giles). As such, she was able to perform certain spells and rituals, including the demon-binding spell the Circle of Kayless.
Jenny may not have had great magical power, but it certainly ran in her family. As revealed in Season 2, Jenny’s real name was Janna of the Kalderash, and she was descended from the same gypsy clan that once cursed Angel with a soul. When Angelus returned, Jenny prepared to cast the Ritual of Restoration, a difficult spell that even Giles admitted he couldn’t perform. Sadly, we’ll never know if she had the power to cast the ritual successfully, as Angelus killed Jenny before she got the chance.
6
Anya Jenkins Was a Magic-User Before She Was a Demon
Much like Jenny, Anya Jenkins is another character who doesn’t identify as a witch yet still possesses a considerable amount of magical ability. In Anya’s case, she is best known for being a former Vengeance Demon, but in actual fact, it was her proficiency with spell-casting which led to her becoming a demon in the first place. Back when she was a Viking woman named Aud, Anya transformed her cheating partner into a troll, an act which attracted the attention of D’Hoffryn, the lord of the Vengeance Demons.
After she became human again, 1000 years later, Anya once again displayed a knack for magic, even if she usually only performed spells as part of a group or with Willow. The pair accidentally summoned Vamp Willow from another dimension and, after joining the Scooby Gang, Anya aided in the casting of multiple spells, such as locator spells or anti-magic protection spells. If D’Hoffryn had never turned Aud into a demon, it’s possible Anya would have continued studying magic and grown into a powerful witch in her own right.
5
Catherine Madison Was the Buffyverse’s First Witch
Catherine Madison has the honor of being the first witch to be introduced on Buffy, appearing in the simply titled Season 1 episode, “Witch.” An allegory for parents who live through their children, Catherine cast a spell to switch bodies with her teenage daughter, Amy, so that she could relive her glory days as a cheerleader. To take out her competition, Catherine-as-Amy also cast several powerful reality-warping spells, such as removing one girl’s mouth and causing another to spontaneously combust.
In fact, the only way the Scoobies were able to defeat Catherine was through Buffy bouncing her own curse back at her with a mirror, Medusa-style. Catherine ended up trapped in her own cheerleading statue, conscious the whole time but unable to escape. The statue remained on display in Sunnydale High’s trophy case until the school’s destruction in Season 3. A deleted scene from Season 4’s “Doomed” would have depicted Catherine’s statue amongst the rubble, confirming that she was still alive.
4
Amy Madison Was Talented but Undisciplined
In her first appearance, Amy was depicted as very much the victim of her evil and controlling mother. However, in her subsequent episodes, it soon became clear that maybe the apple hadn’t fallen far from the tree, after all. Amy inherited not just her mother’s natural mystical talent, but also her vindictive nature and affinity for dark magic.
Amy’s greatest drawback as a witch was her inability to consider the wider ramifications of her spells. For instance, casting a love spell for Xander that grew out of control and, most notably, transforming herself into a rat but being unable to turn back. Once she eventually returns to human form, Amy becomes a bad influence on Willow and is revealed to have ties to Sunnydale’s black magic underworld.
By her last appearance in Season 7, Amy’s storyline came full circle when she was found to have placed a cruel curse on Willow to transform her into Warren Mears. This proved that Amy had grown into just as evil and spiteful a witch as her mother. Just like Catherine had been jealous of her daughter’s youth, Amy was jealous of Willow’s magical power, which had come to far outclass her own.
3
Tara Maclay Had a Unique Magical Gift
Tara Maclay is the opposite of many of the other witches in the Buffyverse, as she is not one to show off her magical abilities or use them in an offensive or retaliatory manner. As such, Tara’s mystical skill is often vastly underrated. Like Amy, Tara was the daughter of a powerful witch, but unlike Catherine, Tara’s mother seemed to have instilled in her a firm understanding of the right and wrong way to use magic and to never wield it irresponsibly.
Tara has the lowest kill count of the Scoobies and is only known to have killed a single opponent — the demon biker Razor in Season 6’s “Bargaining.”
Tara was more than capable of performing impressive magical feats on her own — including various protective spells and bouts of telekinesis — but oftentimes she cast spells in tandem with her girlfriend, Willow, which allowed them to amplify their power. Tara’s greatest gift as a witch, however, was her ability to read a person’s aura. This power, which no other Buffy witch demonstrates, allowed her to identify another witch (she could sense Willow’s power when they first met) or tell if someone had been impacted by a spell (she knew that Faith had switched bodies with Buffy).
2
The Last Guardian Was an Immortal and Ancient Mystic
On screen, the Last Guardian only appears long enough to hand Buffy a spiffy new weapon right before she is killed by Caleb. When placed her in the larger context of Buffyverse lore, though, it becomes clear she is one of the most powerful beings that Buffy ever encounters.
In Season 7’s “End of Days,” Buffy discovers that the Last Guardian has been living underneath Sunnydale all along, protecting the ancient Slayer weapon, the Scythe, until it was time to pass it onto Buffy. The Guardians were a group of mystical women who had been allies to the very first Slayer, Sineya, and had been guiding the Slayers from the shadows ever since. Although functionally immortal, they could still be slain, which is why this Guardian was the last one still standing — until she met Caleb.
Due to the Last Guardian’s incredibly brief screentime, the full remit of her powers is unclear, but given her immortality and that she and the other Guardians created the Scythe, it seems safe to say she possesses an incredible amount of magical power. She may well have been crowned the Buffyverse’s strongest witch, if it wasn’t for a world-changing feat pulled off by another character in the very next episode.
1
Willow Rosenberg Is Arguably the Most Powerful Witch Ever
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Image via Mutant Enemy Productions
As the only main character to practice magic, Willow Rosenberg is inarguably Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s most definitive witch character. Across the seasons, the series depicts Willow’s growth from magical novice to fearsome sorceress. And, just as Buffy has to be the greatest Slayer of them all, Willow has to be the Buffyverse’s strongest witch thanks to the astonishing feats that she accomplishes, particularly in the show’s last couple of seasons.
In Season 6, Willow memorably turns to the dark side after Tara’s death and soaks up the mystical knowledge from all the books in the Magic Box. While this makes her infinitely more powerful, it also corrupts her soul and, after Xander stops her from destroying the world, it takes a lot of work for Willow to rehabilitate herself. In the Season 7 finale, Willow finally proves that she can wield an awesome amount of power without being corrupted when she uses the Scythe to activate every Potential Slayer across the world at once.
The fact that the Guardians had the Scythe in their possession for centuries but never used it in this way tells us that Willow exceeds even them in raw power. Thanks to her arc across Seasons 6 and 7, Willow can be dubbed not just the Buffyverse’s strongest dark witch, but also its strongest white witch, too. That’s not too shabby for someone who once struggled to levitate a pencil.
- Release Date
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1997 – 2003-00-00
- Network
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The WB
- Showrunner
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Joss Whedon
- Directors
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Joss Whedon
- Writers
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Joss Whedon
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Sarah Michelle Gellar
Buffy Summers
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Nicholas Brendon
Alexander Harris
