Top 10 Best Buffy the Vampire Slayer Couples

Get ready because this one is going to get controversial. Welcome to MsMojo and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 10 Best Buffy the Vampire Slayer Couples.



For this list, we’re ranking the most prominent couples from the OG teen vampire series. Also, a spoiler alert is in order.

Okay, we know what you’re thinking, but we couldn’t NOT put Buffy and Riley on our list. We know fans love to hate on Riley (and this pairing in general), but this relationship was really important to Buffy’s development in that it gave her a chance to date someone who was well... not a vampire. Admittedly, this whole story arc wasn’t particularly exciting or romantic, but when it comes down to it, Riley is a good guy who wanted the best for Buffy and always treated her pretty well, all things considered. That’s more than we can say for some of her other interests!

In retrospect, this pairing may have been a little bit inappropriate, but let’s put the age gap aside for a minute. In season three, Wesley Wyndam-Pryce is introduced as Buffy and Faith’s new watcher and while he’s pretty bad at his job, he does manage to catch the attention of the typically bratty Cordelia. These two never actually get into a relationship of any sort on “Buffy” and their rapport consists mostly of awkward flirting and a kiss gone wrong on prom night, but there’s still something charming about the dynamic between them.

Sometimes it’s the least functional couples that are the most entertaining to watch. No one would say that they want to be like Spike and Drusilla, but when they’re on screen together their bizarre behavior has a magnetic pull that doesn’t let us look away. Even though they might be a little disturbing, it’s clear that they really do love each other, and the way that Spike will do anything (no matter how heinous) to keep his love happy is really admirable. In the early seasons when Spike was the antagonist, this relationship humanized him - if only a little.

This is the type of relationship that probably exists in every teen TV show ever made, but that doesn’t make it any less likable. Cordelia is the cool, popular mean girl who reluctantly lets herself become interested in the kind of dorky, overeager Xander. There was a lot of buildup to this relationship taking place, and that was definitely half the fun. Despite the fact that we knew this one wasn’t meant to last, it was still pretty heartbreaking to witness their relationship fall apart because Xander kissed Willow.

While Cordelia and Xander were cute in their own way, Xander’s major relationship in the series was with ex-demon Anya. In fact, Anya only came into Xander’s life because she was sent to punish him for his infidelity. Their relationship is hilarious to watch because of Anya’s lack of understanding of typical human interactions. Xander messes everything up by leaving Anya at the altar and after that they never manage to work things out, which is pretty devastating because in the end, it’s not even possible.

In the second season of the show, Buffy’s watcher, Giles, finally gets a romance of his own. This relationship is fraught with its own issues, but the reason it holds such a strong place in our hearts is its devastating ending. When Angelus starts to make a sport out of torturing Buffy and her friends, Jenny (aka Ms. Calendar) is the most significant victim. Audiences never could have predicted that a major character like this would be permanently killed off (especially in such a brutal way) and Giles’ reaction is one of the most difficult things to watch in the entire series.

Hands down the most adorable and uncomplicated couple from the early seasons of the show was Willow and Oz. They bond over their collective geekiness and it’s clear from the get-go that Oz loves Willow exactly how she is. Seeing the contrast of how he treats her after watching her pine over Xander is a breath of fresh air. In a show filled with troubled relationships, this one feels pure and simple. It didn’t work out for a variety of reasons, but that doesn’t stop it from being one of our favorites.

Okay, okay, we know that a lot of you probably wanted to see this one higher on the list, and in a lot of ways we did too, but hear us out first. Yes, the tension between Spike and Buffy is amazing and their sexual chemistry is clearly something else. We mean, they literally bring a house down. But as much as this relationship kept us watching, the darkness within it became a little too problematic at times. The fact that he attempted to rape her means that we can’t rank this higher, even if he felt so bad about it that he got his soul restored.

Another Buffyverse couple, another tragic ending. This pairing was groundbreaking due to its representation of LGBTQ couples on TV. On top of that, this was just one of the most endearing relationships that viewers had ever seen. Willow and Tara couldn’t have been cuter together, and though their relationship was not without some issues, it certainly didn’t deserve to be cut short in such a shocking, abrupt, and brutal way. If Tara had survived, we’re sure that these two would have lived happily ever after.

This wasn’t the first relationship between a human woman and a vampire to ever grace our screens, but it was definitely one of the most memorable and helped kick off a major cultural trend. Say what you will about Angel, but the first few seasons of the show were fueled by the drama that came along with this relationship. Anytime Angel did something awful, it was as Angelus and not as himself, but despite that, his actions made it pretty much impossible for him and Buffy to be together. Her love for him was lasting, however, and there’s no couple more emblematic of this series.