Not every villain featured on Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a Big Bad, and there was no shortage of memorable demonic creatures and evil spirits for Buffy to face throughout the series seven seasons. Still, not every foe was fearsome, and some appeared ridiculously weak to the point that viewers had to wonder how they managed to survive on the Hellmouth as long as they did.
From Moloch the internet villain to Bezoar's evil eggs, it's truly a mystery why Buffy and the Scoobies saw these antagonists as anything but defenseless. There is no doubt that fans of the series will remember these truly unimpressive and easily conquerable villains from BtVS.
The Bezoar and Her Spawn
In season 2's episode "Bag Eggs," Buffy is forced to face the Bezoar that lived beneath the original Sunnydale High School. Additionally, this tentacled prehistoric creature's offspring managed to cause plenty of chaos before Buffy's showdown with their mother.
While it's somewhat believable that non-supernatural students might have fallen susceptible to these creatures, it is shocking that after defeating someone as powerful as the Master, this Slayer found eggs and a large immobile creature such a difficult challenge. Of course, Buffy manages to slay the Bezoar; however, it's still surprising that this villain was not only the main antagonist for the entire episode but almost managed to take over the entire school.
Moloch The Corruptor
In the earlier seasons of Buffy, the Slayer often went head-to-head with some ridiculous creatures that appeared laughably weak. The ancient demon-turned robot Moloch the Corruptor is one such season 1 villain who is most memorable for being ridiculously unintimidating.
While this Hellmouth villain might have been frightening back in the fifteenth century when he had a cult following, and his original form, his appearance at Sunnydale High shouldn't have caused so much chaos. Additionally, it's somewhat surprising that the creature managed to fool someone as smart as Willow, who was known for being awesomely nerdy and highly skilled when it came to technology.
The Wig Lady Demon
This season 6 villain wasn't even around for an entire episode but in their short time on the show, she managed to devour multiple employees at the Doublemeat Palace before Buffy even realized what was going on.
At this point in the series, Buffy had gone head-to-head with the Master, various vampires, Adam, and even a Hell God, so it's truly a surprise that a demon disguised as an older woman almost caused Slayer's downfall. While Buffy did ultimately come out victorious, it was only due to some assistance from Willow, which again seems pretty unbelievable as the Slayer was no novice when it came to her supernatural duties.
Ted, The Extremely Traditional Robot
When it came to a showdown, Buffy always managed to come out on top. Yet when she had to face a family-obsessed robot early in the series, the Slayer had a surprisingly tough time beating him.
Not only was it alarming that none of the Scoobies believed Buffy when she told them something was wrong with Ted, but it's even more strange that she didn't realize that he wasn't human after the first time he physically assaulted her and managed to hold his own. After the number of villains Buffy went up against by the time she met Ted, it's amazing that he wasn't defeated sooner.
Sunday, The Sunnydale Campus Vampire
By the start of season 4, Buffy had managed to be the Slayer for more than three years; still, she somehow lost her first battle and got injured when she went up against Sunday, the Sunnydale campus vampire. Unlike some of the more powerful vampires featured in the series, Sunday didn't seem to have any advanced abilities that would have made her a serious threat.
While Buffy was vulnerable at the time due to her struggles with adapting to college, this unexceptional opponent should never have made it past their first confrontation without becoming a big pile of dust.
Natalie French, The Evil Insect Teacher
In season 1's episode "Teacher's Pet," Buffy and the Scoobies are forced to face the evil substitute science teacher Natalie French after her antics and infatuation with Xander almost turn him and another student into victims of the She-Mantis. Unfortunately, several villains in the first season appear notably unintimidating, and Miss French definitely falls into the category of laughably weak foes.
Still, she manages to be the episodic antagonist and even leaves behind some spawn that somehow goes unnoticed by Buffy. Although Buffy was still struggling with her identity as the Slayer, she'd already taken on vampires and a witch that had much more impressive powers than Natalie French.
The Unintimidating Balthazar
In season 3's episode "Bad Girls," the Slayer and the Scoobies go up against the demon Balthazar. Though he did appear to have some type of telekinetic power, this laughably unintimidating villain was completely immobile, kept in a tank, and was forced to rely on minions to keep him alive.
It is a mystery why this foe presented any sort of threat to one powerful Slayer, much less two of them. Balthazar's minions were clearly the biggest threat to Buffy and the Scoobies, but the demon himself shouldn't have taken an entire episode to defeat.
Gachnar The Fear Demon
While Gachnar the Fear Demon may have presented himself as a fearsome foe, the reality of his threat level was much less impressive than it appeared. Though Buffy was easily able to defeat this villain once she went head-to-head with him, the fact that he managed to trap the Scoobies inside the fraternity house and terrorize them was surprising.
Had Giles simply managed to translate the text describing Gachnar's image sooner, the entire gang would have realized that even Xander could have easily defeated this miniature foe.
Dracula, The Prince Of Darkness
While the legends surrounding the infamous Dracula might have made him seem intimidating, the reality of his presence in Sunnydale was significantly less impressive. Still, the entire Scooby Gang appeared starstruck by the legendary vampire, and even the Slayer failed to resist him after their initial meeting and was easily overpowered by Dracula.
Though the famous character appeared to have additional powers that most of the vampires in the Buffyverse lacked, his ability to enthrall his victims definitely wasn't anything new for Buffy and the gang. It only made their drawn-out confrontation feel that much more disingenuous to the Slayer's expert ability to defeat her enemies.
Ethan Rayne
Throughout the years, Giles's old friend turned enemy Ethan Rayne caused a disturbing amount of chaos for the residents of Sunnydale. From his first debut in season 2 to his final appearance on the show in season 4, this human with a fondness for magic always managed to escape before the Initiative finally arrested him in season 4.
Though it could be debated that Buffy didn't want to have to harm a human, the amount of damage Ethan caused made him a clear threat, and he could have easily been taken care of with help from the Watcher's Council back in season 2 when he first appeared. With the large number of demons and vampires the Slayer went up against throughout the show's seven seasons, this human villain always inexplicably managed to escape her.