Do we like Buffy Summers?
A character from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003)
Our score: 9 out of 10. Yes, we'd back her. She's brave, funny and loyal, and she keeps showing up for a job she never asked for. She gets a bit prickly under pressure, but she comes through.
Buffy Summers is a teenager who moves to Sunnydale, California, hoping for a normal fresh start. Instead she finds out she's the Slayer, the latest in a line of young women with supernatural strength who fight vampires and other dark forces. Her town sits on a Hellmouth, which attracts all kinds of monsters. With a Watcher to guide her and a loyal group of friends, she tries to protect the world and still pass her exams.
Her appeal is that she's a hero who often wishes she weren't. She's quippy, stubborn and sometimes selfish, and she misses her old social life. When someone is in danger, she steps up anyway. She trusts her friends and doesn't just follow orders, and the show is built on that mix of heart, humour and responsibility. She makes mistakes, especially in her love life, and she can shut people out when she's struggling. She's still among the most inspiring heroes on TV, which is why she scores so high.
Over seven seasons, Buffy pays a heavy price for the role. She is forced to make awful choices, including one that costs her someone she loves, and she faces death more than once. Later seasons take her to a dark place, but she finds her way back and ends up sharing the burden of being the Slayer rather than carrying it alone.