Dawn's Strength: Believable or Not?

[BuffyElevated]

Something that has always bugged me a little when I watch the show is Dawn's strength. Here she is, this scrawny teenage girl, with no super powers, yet she survives all these battles with barely a scratch on her. I know she's the Slayer's sister, but we hardly ever see Buffy training her or anything. So how is she so strong that she can fight these monsters and stuff without ever getting seriously hurt? The others have been fighting for years, so it's more believable that they would be able to fight these demons and things off without getting hurt too badly.
So do you think Dawn's strength and fighting abilities are believable or not?

 

[Taake]

Not.
I think the "she's the Slayer's sister" or "magical key left overs" was just a cop-out. I think her strenght and ability was there to make her less annoying and more useful and to give her something to do on the show after season 5.

 

[BuffyElevated]

Not.
I think the "she's the Slayer's sister" or "magical key left overs" was just a cop-out. I think her strenght and ability was there to make her less annoying and more useful and to give her something to do on the show after season 5.

Exactly. And don't get me wrong- I love Dawn!- I just thought it was so weird and unrealistic that she would never get seriously hurt. I was reading through the thread about the final battle in Chosen and thinking how I thought that Dawn probably should have gotten killed in the final battle to make it a little more realistic, but I guess if Joss and co. were setting it up for Season 8, they wanted it to look like Xander and Dawn were kinda fighting at each others' side.

 

[Username]

Nope. What bugs the most is, I think it's Grave when she and Buffy are trapped and are fighting those demons in the grave and Dawn is really good with that sword and says it's because she's been watching Buffy do it, I've watched Buffy too it doesn't mean I could actually fight of demons that are stronger and bigger than me.

 

[Taake]

Nope. What bugs the most is, I think it's Grave when she and Buffy are trapped and are fighting those demons in the grave and Dawn is really good with that sword and says it's because she's been watching Buffy do it, I've watched Buffy too it doesn't mean I could actually fight of demons that are stronger and bigger than me.

What are you talking about, I watch Buffy all the time and yesterday I totally took out this Chaos demon...

no wait a minute...

You're absolutely right of course. 🙂 That scene always bugged me even though I understand why they didn't want Dawn whimpering and cowering in fear in a corner. Have you tried holding a sword like that? They're heavy! And fighting with one...

 

[ticonderouga]

My personal theory is that Giles and/or Spike had started training her between the Gift and Bargaining, though its its still a stretch that Dawn would be that proficient by the end of season 6, especially because Buffy wanted to keep her as far from the action as she could. It makes more sense in Chosen that she would be fairly proficient, because we know that Buffy had begun to train Dawn between Grave and Lessons, so she would have been in training for at least a year and I think her training would have continued off screen. She also seems to handle herself fairly well in Potential. However I don't think its any less believable when it wasn't until the end of season 2 that any of the scoobies besides Buffy gets seriously hurt. Though Xander, Willow and Giles are all seriously hurt in Becoming. Also in Chosen I think Xander does most of the actual fighting.

 

[white avenger]

Nope. What bugs the most is, I think it's Grave when she and Buffy are trapped and are fighting those demons in the grave and Dawn is really good with that sword and says it's because she's been watching Buffy do it, I've watched Buffy too it doesn't mean I could actually fight of demons that are stronger and bigger than me.

Don't be too impressed with what Dawn did with a sword in that episode, or, for that matter, just about any time that a sword is used in either series, the single biggest exception being Buffy's fight with Angelus at the end of Season 2. All that's taking place is somebody waving a supposedly sharp blade around, hacking at anything that comes within range. No skill required at all. She could just as well be clearing brush with a machete. Where the skill with a sword, or any edged weapon, comes in is when you face a similarly armed opponent, which, luckily, Dawn never had to do, unless some of the Bringers or ubervamps in "Chosen" were swordsmen, which is doubtful.

Dawn could have gotten all of the skill that she ever needed in Season 7 just by watching Arnie in the "Conan" and "Red Sonja" movies.

 

[Marisa]

Well I mean she is just as strong as Xander and Anya to me Willow has her magics but yes it is a little unbelievable. I really never thought about it though that scene at the end of grave can sometimes come across as cheesy so I don't put to much into it really lol. I kind of just keep on with the episode.

Was Dawn ever really in any fights besides for that? I always thought she wasn't around for some reason..

 

[Chosen Enemy]

I think Buffy did train her more than we actually saw on the screen. Also, she must picked that up when looking at Buffy fighting. Because deep down she wishes she was the Slayer, even though she freaked about it. She wanted to be special. So she learns what Buffy does, she wants to be like her.

I don't think it's a matter of strength, but what she knows. When she was fighting the vampire at Sunnydale High, she wasn't using her strength, she was using knowledge (which is the power).

 

[white avenger]

I think Buffy did train her more than we actually saw on the screen. Also, she must picked that up when looking at Buffy fighting. Because deep down she wishes she was the Slayer, even though she freaked about it. She wanted to be special. So she learns what Buffy does, she wants to be like her.

I don't think it's a matter of strength, but what she knows. When she was fighting the vampire at Sunnydale High, she wasn't using her strength, she was using knowledge (which is the power).

Most likely they both had the hots for Adrian Paul, and watched a lot of "Highlander" reruns.