What made Buffy the best Slayer in the history?

[Chosen Enemy]

K', firstly, do you even think that Buffy is the best Slayer in the history? She did die twice. But both times it was a sacrifice, both times she knew she was gonna die and yet she went for it.
She had friends, so that helped her a lot. But without them, she probably would have died much sooner and for good.
She has defeated really big bads, and she is pretty much a hero. She even closed the hellmouth. But she couldn't have done that without all the people around her.
Was it luck, or is she just the best? And could have she been this good if it wasn't for her friends and family? Is that what made her so good at her job? Is she the best?

I know, many questions. But they're basically about the same thing.....

 

[Washburne]

Sacrifice or not, being able to come back from the dead sure helps. Dying while facing the Master wouldn't earn her the title of "Best slayer". Probably very, very far from it.

Friends helped obviously. Angel helped. How many big bads had she won over if it weren't for them. Yes, we can add Spike too.

Luck? Yes and no. Having friends helping out can be seen at that. Having friends that so well suited to help. Absolutely. Not like she chose her friends based on their abilities.

Her decision making, for example not blindly follow the orders of her watcher or the watcher's council. Not all decisions were great but they all blend together to how things ended.

Thanks to all above she got the time to develop into a very good slayer. The best? The luckiest? Each to their own to decide. Personally I know way too little about all the other slayers to even try to pretend to have an answer.

 

[Icarium]

Being the main character in a TV show. 😀

I mean, Buffy was great and all but she lucked out so many times. The Master didn't kill her properly because...why exactly? Angel drew her picture instead of killing her. The Mayor didn't arrest her. Glory didn't try to kill her. The First's minions repeatedly kicked her ass and left her alive nevertheless.

Plot contrivances aside, the main reason is the support of Buffy's friends. Not just the many times they saved her life but the emotional support too.

 

[PassionBecoming]

Besides what was already mentioned, I think a big part of her success was having an actual relationship with her Watcher. The other girls and watchers had just a trainer/trainee type of thing going, where Giles was the father-figure in Buffy's life.

 

[Ripper666]

Mhm, let me think what is different between Buffy and mhm, let's say Kendra. First of all we see that Buffy has a very open minded, practised watcher with an enorm knowledge!
Than we have to say that Buffy's character itself is so different compared with Kendras! Buffy questioned everyone and everything if something doesn't fit in her mind. But not that she is closed for new ideas because of that, in contrary, she is open minded, intelligent and she has a very human side! This saved her more than twice before damage, even before death becasue of her human side, which Kendra, in my eyes lost in her education, Buffy found friends.
Not just friends, people who go through the fire for her and straight back. Giles, Willow, Xander, Anja, Angel, Spike and Riley are just a few of them. We can count Anja and later Andrew. Buffy has a gift to find real friends, to forgive people who need forgivness and to punish people who deserve it! She is a fair judge, she forgives more than others forgive her! She don't want a "thank you" from the hole world but sometimes comprehension! Not even that she earns it everytime she deserves it. And she had something which Kendra hadn't.
Buffy had a family, less or more(No father in the end but sister and mom and the scoobie gang). She had a very caring mother and later a sister who loves her. Kendra hadn't. Kendra had no chance to go to school to collect experiences in social life. Buffy did. She even went to college.
Kendra is isolated by her watcher and allone, she just do what her watcher told her. She didn't know for what she was fighting for, the other Slayers maybe too. But Buffy knew exactly for what she was fighting for. She had friends and a family which she had to protect against evil. She has a reason why she stands up every time she was beaten down. To help the people who she loves. And I think the other Slayers didn't knew at all! And that's why Buffy is not a Slayer, she is the Slayer.

 

[Hale Caesar]

I wouldn't call Buffy the best Slayer in history, because we don't have all the details about the other slayers, it's very possible there was someone better than her 😛

 

[hazzard]

i think what made buffy the "best" slayer, or at least certainly one of the longest-living and most effective ones, is her relationships.
throughout the seasons, enemies and the council and people surrounding her are constantly baffled by a "slayer with family and friends." she has a real relationship with her watcher and she surrounds herself with love and support. by doing this, she breaks the way that slayers are supposed to traditionally act.

 

[white avenger]

For all that we know about the Slayer line, Buffy may be quite average or even sub standard. We've only seen 3 previous Slayers, those being the the First Slayer, the Chinese Slayer who Spike killed, and Nikki Wood, Spike's second Slayer kill. In addition, we have seen Kendra, Faith, and Fray, and all of the post Season Slayers. That leaves literally thousands of girls of every size, shape, nationality, and background who are total mysteries to us. There's no way that we could judge Buffy's skill against of all of those other girls