Buffy the Vampire Slayer: 5 Times We Felt Bad For Dawn (& 5 We Hated Her) – Screen Rant

Dawn Summers is one of the most loathed characters on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and for good reason. But Buffy's little sister could be sympathetic.

The iconic cult classicBuffy The Vampire Slayerwon fans everywhere for its portrayal of the tough times that high schoolers face,seen through the eyes of a teenager who has to save her town (and the world) from evil. Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is a unique superhero character because shebarely lives a double life, as her family and friends are aware of what's going on.When her younger sister Dawn (MichelleTrachtenberg) comes onto the scene in the fifth season, fans had an immediate reaction, and it wasn't a positive one.

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Although Dawn is a polarizing character, there are some redeeming moments during her time on the popular series. Keep reading to find out times when fans had sympathy for Buffy'slittle sis, along with moments when she was truly annoying.

No matter how fans feel about Dawn (and they definitely have some strong feelings), one thing is for sure: it was horrible when her mom passed away. No child or teenager deserves to lose a parent, and it's one of the most difficult things that someone will ever go through.

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It's impossible to hate Dawn when she goes through this family tragedy.

In the sixth season episode "Once More, with Feeling," fans learned that Dawn had started stealing. Most importantly, she hada necklacethat she had lifted from the Magic Box.

It was hard to feel any sympathy for Dawn about this situation because stealing is clearly terrible behavior. This just gave viewers even more ammunition to hate her.

It's never easy to learn that a loved one has been assaulted. Dawn was distraught when she realized that Spike (James Marsters) had attempted to assault Buffy.

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This happened in the episode "Seeing Red" and it's still talked about today. It was a lot for Dawn to deal with and process as she was still very young.

Fans never really took to Dawn and one main reason is that she always seemed like nothing more than Buffy's annoying little sister. It was like she was forevertagging along with the gang, but she never had a real place there herself.

Dawn didn't make it easy for fans to like her or appreciate her place on the show, and this is one prime example.

Many younger siblings feel that they're constantly in the shadow of their older brothers and sisters. It makes sense, even if it's not necessarily the truth, as family dynamics can be complicated.

When Dawn felt that Buffy was always the one that people loved and wanted to be around, it was easy to feel bad for her. Buffy is a very strong personality and it would be impossible not to feel inferior.

Dawn never really treated Anya (Emma Caulfield) very well, complaining that Xander (Nicholas Brendon)was too good for her and just generally being mean to her.

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It wasn't hard to hate Dawn when she acted this way. Sure, she had a crush Xander, but it was clear that they would never be able to be together at least not on the show so she should have been more realistic about the situation.

Fans hated learning that Dawn was the Key, and in one moving and emotional scene, Buffy helps her deal with her past. She says that of course they're sisters.

It's sweet to see Buffy taking care of her sibling and proving that family does matter to her. This was a moment when fans felt bad for Dawn for everything that she had to go through.

In the fifth season episode "Blood Ties," Dawn had a lot of trouble accepting her reality, and she acted super immaturely. She yells at her family,storms off toher bedroom, and then runs out of the house.

She basically acted like a typical huffy, dramatic teenager, but that doesn't make it okay. This was a time when fans hated her as Buffy and Joyce were trying to help and it was so mean for her to treat them like this.

When Tara (Amber Benson) died, it was horrible for Dawn, who considered her a real and true friend, and related to her as a fellow outsider. This would always be sad, but it was even more so because Dawn hadn't actually gotten along with the rest of the gang.

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This was a time when fans definitely felt bad for Dawn, who had seen a lot of people come and go in her life, and this was yet another loss.

Oneof Dawn's biggest character traits? She would always make everything about her. Whether it was her sister sacrificing herself inthe season5 finale or any number of crazy things that the gang would experience, Dawn would complain and whine and focus on how it affected her.

This wasn't a mature way to act, and just proved that the negative fanreactionto this character was valid.

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Aya Tsintziras writes about travel and pop culture. She loves coffee, barre classes, avocado, and watching TV. She lives in Toronto with her husband.

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer: 5 Times We Felt Bad For Dawn (& 5 We Hated Her) - Screen Rant

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