Werewolf (Buffyverse)
Encyclopedia
In the Buffyverse
Buffyverse
The Buffyverse, also known as the Whedonverse or Slayerverse , is the shared fictional universe in which the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel are set. This term, originally coined by fans of the TV series, has since been used in the titles of published works, and adopted by Joss...

, created by Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...

, werewolves are similar to the werewolves
Werewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...

 of folklore, but rather than being only brutish monsters, they appear as characters who suffer from lycanthropy
Lycanthropy
Lycanthropy is the professed ability or power of a human being to undergo transformation into a werewolf, or to gain wolf-like characteristics. The term comes from Greek Lykànthropos : λύκος, lykos + άνθρωπος, ànthrōpos...

, and whose animal side either complements or clashes with their human side.

Characteristics

Werewolves in the Buffyverse are usually afflicted with lycanthropy through a bite.

Werewolves turn into wolf form at sunset on the three nights when the moon is nearest full
Full moon
Full moon lunar phase that occurs when the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. More precisely, a full moon occurs when the geocentric apparent longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180 degrees; the Moon is then in opposition with the Sun.Lunar eclipses can only occur at...

 (called "wolf nights" by Willow and Oz), and revert to human form at dawn. In wolf form, they are immensely strong and hungry for human flesh, but tend to fall asleep before dawn, and often do not recall the events of the previous night when they wake (always naked, as their clothes do not survive the transformation). They show some animal characteristics at all times, such as a keen sense of smell and an ability to sense other werewolves. Sometimes their wolf appearance resembles their human appearance (e.g. Veruca is blonde both as a human and as a wolf), and male werewolves may have animal-like qualities to their human appearance, such as excess body hair.

Werewolves may be killed by silver bullets or silver weapons, as well as mauling by other werewolves. If killed in wolf form, most werewolves remain in wolf form; in "Wild At Heart", Veruca remains in wolf form after Oz kills her, and in "Phases", Gib Cain states that he skins dead werewolves for their pelts, pointing out that "it's a little hard to skin 'em when they're alive." However, Wesley explains in "Unleashed" that Nina (in wolf form) must be alive in order for the patrons of Crane's banquet to enjoy her as werewolf meat, implying that, dead, she would be a normal human corpse and of no interest to the gourmets. This is apparently a unique trait of Nina's particular werewolf breed; Nina's attacker in that episode reverted to human form as soon as Angel killed him.

The physical appearance of werewolves is retconned in between "Phases" and "Beauty and the Beasts"; originally, Oz's wolf form was more humanoid, able to walk on two legs with a wolf-like snout, but it was changed to a quadrupedal look with a more humanoid face; the former of these looks is possibly the inspiration for the Lycanthropus Exterus introduced in Angel season five.

Oz

The first werewolf seen in the series is Oz, although he doesn't realize he is one until he wakes naked in a forest ("Phases"). He says earlier in that episode that his young cousin bit him on the finger, and later calls his aunt to ask, "Is Jordy a werewolf? Uh-huh. And how long has that been going on? Uh-huh." To prevent himself from harming others, he takes to locking himself in a cage on the nights he'll turn. In season 4, however, he feels an undeniable attraction to Veruca, the female lead singer of a local band, and realizes why when he wakes up next to her after a wolf night on which he escaped his cage—he connect the dots and realizes she is a werewolf too, and she is happy to tell him they had given in to their animalistic desires for each other ("Wild at Heart
Wild at Heart (Buffy episode)
"Wild at Heart" is the sixth episode of season 4 of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In a BBC interview, writer Marti Noxon says she would have liked to direct this episode, as it was "close to [her] heart" - particularly the metaphor that "most of us have a creature inside of us that...

"). Oz is powerless to resist his lust for Veruca, and after having sex with her in wolf form, he realizes that he is still harmful to others—namely his girlfriend Willow
Willow Rosenberg
Willow Rosenberg is a fictional character created for the fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer . She was developed by Joss Whedon and portrayed throughout the TV series by Alyson Hannigan...

—and unable to defeat the wolf in him. This was despite the fact that when Veruca had pursued Willow, Oz interestingly seemed to retain some human memories and slaughters Veruca, suggesting he was able to prioritize his kills based on his human knowledge about Veruca (see below) and his affection for Willow. Still, he leaves Sunnydale
Sunnydale
Sunnydale, California is the fictional setting for the U.S. television drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Series creator Joss Whedon conceived the town as a representation of a generic California city, as well as a narrative parody of the all-too-serene towns typical in traditional horror...

 for a few months, returning after having learned meditative
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....

 techniques in Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...

 that have allowed him to prevent changing ("New Moon Rising
New Moon Rising (Buffy episode)
"New Moon Rising" is the 19th episode of season 4 of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Oz returns to Sunnydale after learning to control his werewolf instincts...

"). However, emotional stress, particularly over Willow and his jealousy over her new love interest Tara
Tara Maclay
Tara Maclay is a fictional character created for the fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer . She was developed by Joss Whedon and portrayed by Amber Benson from the fourth to the sixth season until the character's death. Tara is a shy young woman with magical talents who falls in love...

 triggers the changes even during the day, and Oz realizes he has not defeated his lycanthropy as much as he thought he did, and departs again.
He returns to Tibet to continue the Buddhist practices to hold back the wolf, but comes to the conclusion nothing works anymore. He is tempted to give in to his wolf side, but eventually doesn't, when fellow werewolf—and future mother of his child—Bayarmaa tells him of the original Tibetan religion Bon. The two build upon the religion and make their own traditions, seeing the spiritual life in ordinary things, quietly aware they are part of it all. They eventually learn that the secret is not to bottle up the wolf, but to let the energy of the wolf pass through them without taking them and into the world around them, letting "the wolf be pulled into the earth." ("Retreat, part II
Retreat (Buffy comic)
"Retreat" is the sixth story arc of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight series of comic books, based upon the television series of the same name, and is written by television screenwriter Jane Espenson...

")

Veruca

Veruca is the lead singer of a Sunnydale band called Shy, and meets Oz through his band, Dingoes Ate My Baby
Dingoes Ate My Baby
Dingoes Ate My Baby is a fictional rock band on the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The name was derived from the widespread news coverage of the disappearance of 9 week old Azaria Chamberlain in Australia in 1980...

. After confirming that they are both werewolves, Veruca is dumbfounded to learn that Oz cages himself, and suggests that werewolves should feel free to express their animal side, as they are above regular humans ("Wild at Heart
Wild at Heart (Buffy episode)
"Wild at Heart" is the sixth episode of season 4 of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In a BBC interview, writer Marti Noxon says she would have liked to direct this episode, as it was "close to [her] heart" - particularly the metaphor that "most of us have a creature inside of us that...

"). Unlike Oz, she has no qualms about killing humans and views any human deaths she might cause as a wolf as mere ramifications of freedom and right to kill. Oz insists that she stay with him in his cage, saying, "I can't let you hurt anyone," and she complies, knowing she can still enjoy her animalistic expression by having sex with him.
Later Veruca pursued Willow and tried to kill her only to be just in time stopped by Oz. The fight of the two werewolves only end when Oz eventually rips Veruca's throat out.

Nina Ash

Nina Ash is an art student living in L.A. who was attacked by a werewolf while jogging one night ("Unleashed
Unleashed (Angel episode)
"Unleashed" is episode 3 of season 5 in the television show Angel. Written by Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain and directed by Marita Grabiak, it was originally broadcast on October 15, 2003 on the WB network...

"). Angel
Angel (Buffyverse)
Angel is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt for the television programs Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. He is played by actor David Boreanaz. Angel is a vampire who is cursed with a soul, a punishment designed to make him suffer for his past crimes committed under...

 is nearby and hears her screams, but by the time he arrives on the scene and kills the werewolf with a silver pen, Nina had already escaped and Angel, smelling her blood, realizes she was bitten. Using the resources of Wolfram and Hart
Wolfram and Hart
Wolfram & Hart − Attorneys at Law is a fictional international, and interdimensional law firm featured in the television series Angel, as well as other extended materials in Joss Whedon's Buffyverse.-Fictional history:...

, Angel tracks her down and cages her to prevent her from harming herself or others. The team
Angel Investigations
Angel Investigations is a fictional detective agency run by the title character Angel previously on the WB television series Angel . It is sometimes abbreviated as AI...

 learns from the cryptozoologist
Cryptozoology
Cryptozoology refers to the search for animals whose existence has not been proven...

 who examines the werewolf's corpse that the particular species is unusual in that it is bipedal. Nina is dismayed to learn that she's a "monster," and reluctantly agrees to let Angel hold her in a cage at Wolfram & Hart so that they can continue to help her. Unfortunately, Nina is captured and taken to a banquet for patrons who enjoy the flesh of demons and other unusual creatures, and who intend to devour her. After being rescued by Angel and the rest of Angel Investigations, she begins to recognize that she is more than the monster, and later has a brief but healthy relationship with Angel.

View of werewolves

The way people see werewolves in the Buffyverse varies:
  • Gib Cain hunts and kills werewolves for their teeth and pelts, and the gourmet club members are willing to pay handsomely to eat werewolf flesh, both indifferent to the fate of the human aspect. Cain notes that werewolf pelts fetch a high price in Sri Lanka
    Sri Lanka
    Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

    , while Crane mentions dining on werewolf flesh in Seville
    Seville
    Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...

    , Spain
    Spain
    Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

    , demonstrating this attitude can be found in many nations.
  • The Scoobies and Angel's crew do not hold werewolves responsible for their actions in bestial form, provided that (like Oz and Nina) they make reasonable efforts to restrain themselves during the full moon.
  • Werewolves such as Veruca believe the wolf to be their true self, and relish in their condition, even if it means killing someone.
  • McManus, Nina's attacker in "Unleashed", originally attempted to live in permanent solitude, but eventually went back to populated areas. Unlike Oz and Nina, he did not have the support to hold on to his humanity.
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