Buffy Anne Summers was born early (probably January) 1981 (contrary to her school records as seen in I Robot, You Jane!) to parents Hank and Joyce Summers. She had a fairly ordinary childhood, growing up in sunny California, not knowing of the great destiny which lay ahead of her. For Buffy, you see, had been Chosen.

As a child, Buffy used to play at being superhero Powergirl with her cousin Celia. Sadly, Celia would die in a hospital at the hands of demon Der Kindestod - a being Buffy would Slay in later life. She attended public school, where she had a crush on an older (by one year) boy Billy "Ford" Fordham. One of her favorite snacks was Oreo cookies dunked in (yeuch!) apple juice.

In junior high, and her first year of life at Hemery High School in LA, Buffy remained a very popular girl, winning beauty and popularity contests. But her life was to change when, one fateful day in high school, she met her Watcher.

It was a sunny day as Buffy descended the steps before her school, seeing off her friends as she waited to speak with ex-boyfriend Tyler. But the man who met her was a strange man who went by the name of Merrick. He told her she was destined to Slay vampires, and the rest is history.

It took Buffy a while to "get over herself" as it were. When she showed up in Sunnydale (her mother, now divorced from her father, had moved here after Buffy was kicked out of Hemery for setting fire to the school gym - necessary for deleting some partying vamps) she was trying to avoid her Slayer life. She actively resisted her new Watcher, one Rupert Giles, and a mysterious stranger intent on aiding her in vampire destruction - a handsome but annoying young man by the name of Angel. However, when people began dying at the hands of vampires, and an ancient and powerful vampire called the Master prepared to open the Mouth of Hell, Buffy's conscience wouldn't let her stand by and do nothing. She had to once again don the hood of the Slayer.

But this sense of self has never left Buffy. Early on she attempted to live a life outside of her 'work' (cheerleading, dating, and so on) but it proved quite impossible. Still, our Slayer had trouble accepting the fact that she had to lose her identity to that of the Chosen One. When it was prophesied that she would die, Buffy balked (well who wouldn't?) and attempted to quit. Again, though, her conscience wouldn't allow this and she faced the Master anyway, and died for her trouble. After a summer in LA, she was still not over her death, and proceeded to pursue "Bitch of the Year" honors - which involved flirting with Xander, tormenting Angel, and generally acting bizarre and rude. She got over this eventually, but the wounds remain.

No one would deny that Buffy is a hero, that she is dedicated to her cause. But she still has the human need for a life. For her Self, her Ego. Meeting Kendra, the Slayer who had her personality surgically removed, showed Buffy how much of her own identity she had managed to retain - despite recent complaints about lack of "me time". Buffy comes to realize that she has managed to incorporate her own personality into her role as Slayer, and that that is what gives her the strength that she has in battle. Far from being convinced to give herself solely to her duty, she realizes she must come to a balance between 'Buffy' and 'the Chosen One'.

But the two are not always in perfect harmony. Angel turning evil showed us that. Buffy was naturally confused by the turn events, unable to Slay him due to her feelings. This led, ultimately, to the death of Jenny Calendar, and the torture of Giles. Buffy finally, in a terrific display of courage and strength, managed to kill Angel (newly turned good again) to save the world from destruction. Unable to handle the pressures suddenly thrust upon her, though, she fled the town - once again unable to reconcile her two halves satisfactorily.

When a new Slayer, Faith, showed up in town, Buffy began to feel intensely jealous as Faith invaded her life, seemingly here to usurp both parts of Buffy's existence. Faith instantly swayed Buffy's friends, her Watcher, and her mother - a process which Buffy referred to as being "Single White Femaled". Though it was difficult, Buffy grew to accept, and even like, Faith - overcoming the ego that railed against the newcomer's invasion.