Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Anya Jenkins

Anya – the strangely literal, confused ex-demon. The moment she came on screen, she stole the scene from everyone else. Yes, Anya is another one of my top favorite Buffy characters. Personally, I think she had the best lines in the whole show. The writers wrote the character brilliantly and Emma Caulfield executed it perfectly. Ok, fangirl moment over – onto the bio!

Anya was a member of the Scooby Gang and a former vengeance demon. A little over a thousand years old, she was originally known as Aud. After cursing her unfaithful lover, Aud was approached by the demon D’Hoffryn with the offer of becoming an immortal demon and devoting her life to vengeance. She accepted his offer and was transformed into Anyanka, earning the title of Patron Saint of Scorned Women as she spent a millennium granting twisted wishes to the betrayed girlfriends and wives of men.

Anyanka came to Sunnydale to grant a wish for the scorned Cordelia after Xander had cheated on her with Willow, but instead of wishing something bad upon Xander, Cordelia wished that Buffy had never come to Sunnydale. Anyanka granted the wish, which resulted in a horrible alternate reality. Unfortunately for Anyanka, Giles smashed her magical necklace, bringing Sunnydale back to its normal reality, and leaving Anya stuck in the body of a mortal teenager. D’Hoffryn refused to give her her powers back. So Anya tried to use Willow to help her get her necklace back, but that plan backfired, so Anya continued attending Sunnydale High School as a normal human.

Anya later developed a crush on Xander, she persuaded him to sleep with her in hopes of getting him out of her system, but this totally didn’t work and instead they began dating. Xander then invited her to a Halloween party and Anya decided to wear a bunny suit as her scary costume, since she has this huge HUGE fear of bunnies (hilarious). Xander and Anya ended up becoming an adorable (and very sexually active) couple, eventually getting engaged. Unfortunately, Xander wasn’t ready to get married yet, mainly because of his fear of becoming like his dad, so he called it off on the day of the wedding. A heartbroken Anya then slept with Spike, which Xander saw thanks to a hidden camera planted in the Magic Box (where Anya worked, making the money she loved so much) by Warren, Andrew and Jonathan. D’Hoffryn offered Anya her old job back, and she accepted, becoming a vengeance demon again, though this time her heart wasn’t in it.

But then Anya’s old demon friend Halfrek came and encouraged Anya down a darker path. So, Anya massacred a group of mean fraternity boys by summoning a demon to rip their hearts out. She was later disgusted by what she had done and, after an even-matched battle with Buffy, begged D’Hoffryn to reverse the wish. D’Hoffryn agreed, but at the cost of a vengeance demon’s soul. Anya was willing to sacrifice herself for the boys, but instead, D’Hoffryn murdered Halfrek and turned Anya human again so that she would have to live with the pain of what she had done.

Human again, she realized that she had always been dependent on others in life, and so Anya resolved to find a purpose for herself. But when D’Hoffryn sent assassins to kill her, she sought safety at Buffy’s house and re-joined the Scooby Gang.

Anya and Xander eventually made peace with each other, and even had several last flings together. Anya later admitted to Andrew that she secretly admired how determined humans could be in times of crisis, and in the final battle against the First Evil, she died when she was viciously bisected from behind by a Bringer’s sword. Her death was avenged by Andrew who kills the Bringer with his own sword (I admit to tearing up when she died).

Anya’s death was a huge loss; she was the quirky, money obsessed ex-demon that had no clue how to act like a normal mortal. Definitely one of the best Buffy characters.

Favorite Anya Quotes!

Anya: “I can just hear you in private. ‘I dislike that Anya. She’s newly human, and strangely literal.’”
Willow: “What? I don’t say that. No one says that. No one talks that way.”

“For a thousand years I wielded the power of the wish. I brought ruin upon the heads of unfaithful men. I offered destruction and chaos for the pleasure of the Lower Beings. I was feared and worshiped across the mortal globe and now I’m stuck at Sunnydale High! A mortal! A child! And I’m flunking math.”

Buffy: “With Mom at Aunt Darlene’s this year, I’m not getting a Thanksgiving. Maybe it’s just as well.”
Anya: “Well, I think that’s a shame. I love a ritual sacrifice.”
Buffy: “It’s not really a one of those.”
Anya: “To commemorate a past event, you kill and eat an animal. It’s a ritual sacrifice… with pie.”

Giles:  “I have a friend who’s coming to town, and I’d like us to be alone.”
Anya: “Oh, you mean an orgasm friend?”
Giles: “Yes, that’s exactly the most appalling thing you could have said.”

[practicing her wedding vows] “I, Anya, promise to love you, to cherish you, to honor you, ah, but NOT to obey you, of course, because that’s anachronistic and misogynistic and who you do you think you are, like a sea captain o-or something?”

Anya: “Well, at first it was confusing. Just the idea of computers was like, whoa, I’m eleven hundred years old. I had trouble adjusting to the idea of Lutherans.”
Tara: “Well, I go online sometimes, but everyone’s spelling is really bad. It’s depressing.”

“I like you. You’re funny, and you’re nicely shaped. And frankly, it’s ludicrous to have these interlocking bodies and not… interlock. Please remove your clothing now.”

“We’re all on death’s door repeatedly ringing the doorbell, like maniacal girl scouts trying to make quota.”

“Quiet! You’ll miss the humorous conclusion.”

– Moonlight

By Moonlight

Moonlight (aka Amanda) loves to write about, read about and learn about everything pertaining to vampires. You will most likely find her huddled over a book of vampire folklore with coffee in hand. Touch her coffee and she may bite you (and not in the fun way).

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