Slayers

1. Buffy Summers

She was blond, kinda ditsy, obsessed with fashion and about as deep as a puddle in a very flat desert. Nothing about Buffy screamed "destroyer of evil". Yet, armed with keen fashion sense and an arsenal of wisecracks that would put Peter Parker to shame, she became a slayer with a higher than average success rate. Even being killed (twice!) was only a minor inconvenience to this spunky valley girl. While she longed for nothing more than a normal life she nonetheless embraced her destiny of hanging out in cemeteries a lot and dating the wrong guys consistently. Added bonus points for her relationships with both Spike AND Angel. You know you're hot when your sole purpose is to brutally wipe out the satanic minions of darkness, yet they still want to date you.

"I now have my weapons categorized from A to Z, from axe to...zee other axe."

2. Kendrah

Our first glimpse of this no-nonsense slayer saw her attacking Buffy and going blow for blow before a pause in the action led to the two combatants realizing they were both on the same side. Even before she set an icy gaze on Buffy and said coolly, in that Jamaican accent we so came to love, "I am Kendrah, the vampire slayer", we knew this was no one to be trifled with. Summoned into slayerhood through a loophole in the slayer rules, Kendrah was all business, and took her duty very seriously, which made her a bit too rigid and unyielding, hurting her ability to improvise. This changed slightly after meeting Buffy. Unfortunately Kendrah's success rate was not quite as accomplished as Buffy's and was killed by Drusilla in only the third episode she was featured in.

"This is my lucky stake. I have killed many vampires with it. I call it Mr. Pointy."

3. Faith Lehane

Get out of her way, don't give her any rules, and whatever you do, don't even think about suggesting she should act more like Buffy. Venom to Buffy's Spiderman, Faith embodied Buffy's dark side. She was brutal, and more than a little out of her gourd, enjoying her calling just a wee bit too much. Buffy had her issues, Faith had subscriptions. When this led to the murder of an innocent man, Faith went from vaguely slutty bad girl to full on evil slayer. A match for Buffy in every way, and with an added bonus of not caring what innocents got in the way, Faith was the Scooby Gang's worst nightmare. Finally she realized that what she really hated and was railing against was herself and sought redemption. She fought alongside Buffy in the final battle to close the Hellmouth, and was pursuing a relationship with Robin Wood, the son of slayer #4 on this list.

"Five by five."

4. Nikki Wood

Not a whole lot is known about this mean momma from the 70's. Her appearances were reserved to only a few occasional flashbacks — but what we know is pretty darned intimidating. 50% Cleopatra Jones, 50% The Bride from Kill Bill, Nikki was a happening chick with all kinds of attitude who could kick ass three ways to Sunday. Her devotion to her calling as a slayer was first in her view, taking precedence over even her son, Robin. Though she was killed in a brutal fight on a subway train New York by Spike in 1977, she was still viewed as a worthy enough adversary for him to grab a little keepsake of the battle: the black leather trench coat that Spike wears to this day.

"The Mission is what matters."

5. Melaka Fray

She's a career criminal. She's had no training, none of the inherent memories a slayer is supposedly born with. She has an attention span that can only be measured in nanoseconds. Her "Watcher" is a red, horned, goat legged demon thing with no upper lip. Of all those chosen to become the slayer, arguably none were more unlikely than Melaka Fray. This Slayer of the future started out life in the slums of New York. Battle scarred due to growing up rough and further hardened by the life she chose to live, Fray was in a way perhaps better prepared than most for the life of violence that being a slayer entails. Undisciplined, unprincipled and unhindered by any watcher presence, Melaka was just fun to watch as she grew into her role. Points for best arch-enemy in the form of her twin brother Harth, who was killed in front of her and reappeared years later as not only a vampire, but the leader of a vampire army.

"I'm pissed like this rutting beast can't conceive. I'm a lifetime of pissed, of strong, of muscle built over bruise."

6. Sineya / The First Slayer

So blonds not your thing? Not really into bad girls? Maybe what you're looking for is a feral aborigine. Kidnapped by the "Shadow Men" (the ancient progenitors of the Watcher council) Sineya was imbued with the essence and energies of a demon (the same demon from which vampires are descended), and let loose to destroy the vampires that were feasting on the nearby village. Unfortunately for her, the shadow guys forgot to let her village in on their little plan and she was driven from her home by the villagers who thought she was also a demon. She continued to slay monsters, even though the Shady guys of shadowness couldn't find her to train her. Her legacy continues to this day, as the energies housed inside her continually find a home in the next chosen slayer. Being the first girl to house this power, and having received it unfiltered from the source, she was ridiculously powerful. So much so that simply by invoking her spirit Buffy was able to pull the heart out of an invincible Cyborg Demon. She made a definite impression by actually killing Willow, Xander and Giles (in their dreams but that's still pretty hardcore). Also, scary looking.

"I have no speech. No name. I live in the action of death, the blood cry, the penetrating wound. I am destruction. Absolute... alone."