| Anya Jenkins | |
|---|---|
| Buffy the Vampire Slayer character | |
.jpg) Emma Caulfield as Anya Jenkins | |
| First appearance | "The Wish" (1998) |
| Last appearance | Own It (2016) |
| Created by | Joss Whedon Marti Noxon |
| Portrayed by | Emma Caulfield |
| In-universe information | |
| Alias |
|
| Affiliation | Scooby Gang |
| Classification | Vengeance demon (formerly) Human (formerly) Ghost (currently) |
| Notable powers | Wish-granting. Superhuman physical attributes, teleportation, telekinesis, invulnerability. |
Anyanka Christina Emmanuella "Anya" Jenkins (born as Aud) is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She also appears in the comic book series based on the television show. Portrayed by Emma Caulfield, the character appears as a recurring star in the third and fourth seasons of the show before becoming a series regular in the show's fifth, sixth, and seventh seasons. The character made her last television appearance in 2003, appearing in the series finale of the show that aired on May 20, 2003.
Within the series' narrative, Anya was originally a human named Aud, but spent over a thousand years as Anyanka, a vengeance demon, wreaking havoc by granting the wishes of women who had been wronged by men. The character becomes human again in her first appearance, and is forced to learn what it means to be human again in subsequent episodes. Primarily, this is used by the writers for comic relief; Anya has a very poor sense of what behaviors are appropriate, and speaks very bluntly and honestly, and flashbacks show that her manner was much the same before she became a demon. However, the writers have also used this for more poignant purposes, such as when Anya finds herself struggling to deal with death. Over a decade after being killed in the series finale, Anya returned as a ghost in the canonical comic book series Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Ten.