Who is the strongest human in the Buffyverse?

[Wyndam]

This is a thread I have wanted to make for a while now. Who do you think is the strongest human in the Buffyverse? I have narrowed the poll down to four candidates, as I feel they are clearly the strongest candidates for this poll. Obviously, if you disagree with my choices, just choose "Other" and respond below as to why you feel someone else (like perhaps Giles, Wesley, or Justine) is stronger than those I listed.

I did not included people like Connor, Groo, Willow, Gwen, etc., because A) it has been stated that they are not exactly human, or have demon in them (Groo/Connor), or B) they possess abilities that make them naturally stronger than regular humans (Willow/Gwen).

Here is my support for each of the candidates:

Riley Finn: Professor Walsh's golden boy and a leader inside The Initiative. While it is true that Riley was given meds that made him stronger than a normal human, he established himself in Season 5 as a strong fighter and a force to be reckoned with, long after he was off the meds. He can take out normal demons/vampires with ease and was probably the strongest "Scoobie" on the show.

Charles Gunn: A fighter since he was a kid, Gunn was an expert at killing vampires long before we met him in Season 1. He was quickly established as a fighter, brawler, etc. very quickly on the show, and that was his main purpose for the first few years. He was the "muscle" of Team Angel. He rarely had any trouble with his foes, and his kill count probably rivals most Slayer's.

Daniel Holtz: We actually didn't get to see Holtz do much fighting on Angel, but it is very clear that he was a very challenging and strong individual. It was established that he killed over 400 vampires before he was sealed away for 200 years, and I am sure that number also rivals some Slayer kill-counts. He also took out an elite squad of Wolfram & Hart operatives, successfully attacked Caritas, and survived Quor'Toth for nearly two decades.

Robin Wood: Principal Wood, the son of Slayer Nikki Wood, was raised by Nikki's watcher and more or less recieved similar training that a Slayer undergoes. By the time he arrived in Sunnydale, he was an efficient vampire killer and quickly got a bad reputation in the demon world. He continued to fight by Buffy's side and helped defend an exit at Sunnydale High during the final battle in Chosen.

[hitnrun017]

Easily Gunn. He was pretty much just as good as Angel. For being human and fighting vamps his entire life, he lasted longer than Slayers.

[Wyndam]

Dec 14, 2008 20:12:25 GMT -5 hitnrun017 said:

Easily Gunn. He was pretty much just as good as Angel. For being human and fighting vamps his entire life, he lasted longer than Slayers.

My thoughts as well. It was rare for Gunn to get beaten in a fight. The only times I can think of where he was beaten, was when Connor came back from Quor'Toth in Season 3, and when he, Angel, Wesley, and Lorne took on The Beast in Season 4.

[Emmie]

Great thread, Wyn.

I agree it's definitely Gunn, but I think Holtz follows in a close second. Holtz relied more on battle strategy and wits, but he was still incredibly tough.

I think it wasn't only "muscle" that made Gunn and Holtz formidable but their advanced battle tactics (leading a team, knowledge and use of weapons) that aided them, too.

[VampSlayer]

Ima go with Wood!

[sarahi]

I don't think Willow should have been left out. She may be a witch, but she's not a vampire witch. She's still very much human and a lot more powerful than any of the people on the poll.

However, if I had to pick someone listed, I'd pick Holt. He could handle himself pretty well, even with Angel.

[theend]

Gunn. He kicked a lot of ass considering that vampires are supposed to be way stronger than humans, and Gunn pretty much had no trouble killing them.

[Mathieu]

Gunn, without a doubt.

[Spiked]

I sort of went through the process of elimination.

Riley was a decent fighter, but he wasn't nearly as useful after he lost the extra strength the Initiative drugs gave him. Plus, he relied a lot on high-tech weapons. So he's out.

Robin was pretty good (better than Riley, in my opinion), but he was too impulsive and emotional. So he's out, too.

That leaves Holtz and Gunn. I went with Gunn, mainly because we saw more of him than Holtz, but he definitely deserves the title of "strongest human" considering he was almost as formidable a fighter as Angel even though he wasn't anywhere near as strong. Still, even though we didn't see as much of him, Holtz had to be pretty good if he was able to scare vampires as bad as Darla and Angelus, and he was clearly a very good strategist.

[henzINNIT]

Has to be Gunn, but they're all very good in a fight.

Riley would probably be the one to show the least strength on the show (off-meds anyway), but I think he's probably formidable again now that he's had time away from his meds to train.

Jan 31, 2009 1:11:59 GMT -5 sarahi said:

I don't think Willow should have been left out. She may be a witch, but she's not a vampire witch. She's still very much human and a lot more powerful than any of the people on the poll.

However, if I had to pick someone listed, I'd pick Holt. He could handle himself pretty well, even with Angel.

Willow isn't physically strong at all though. She'd get absolutely mashed by any of the above candidates, and by a whole lot who didn't make the list.

[commandercool]

Yeah, I gotta go with Gunn. He was... kind of a badass.

[Tyler Austin "tiewashere"]

It was a close tie between Gunn and Robin for me. But I feel like Gunn lasted way longer than Robin. Besides, I think Gunn would have lasted the final fight of Buffy.

[snizapman6294]

i couldn't decide between Riley and Holtz.... but in the end i chose Riley.

[worldofshrimps]

Holtz...only cuz I hated Gunn, hated Riley and hated Wood.

[Randi Giles]

I wanted to vote Gunn until I saw Holtz. Holtz in his day was kind of the way Gunn used to be before he hooked up with Angel. Holtz had that show "No mercy" attitude.

[The Night Lord]

Charles Gunn...nuff said