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In the first seasons of Buffy it seems that demons and vampires are not very common. One Slayer seems enough to keep things under control (particularly in the hellmouth).

By season 6, it seems that there are demons absolutely everywhere and they are pretty mundane (there are demon bars!). They are as common as bike gangs (as seen in season 6 premiere). It seems that the only reason Sunnydale has not been completely terrorized is the presence of the Slayer.

So, why are not the rest of the towns (particularly ones close to Sunnydale) in that situation? One or two Slayers cannot possibly maintain order with the amount of demons that seem to populate the earth.

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    The same reason Gotham city is attacked by evil masterminds all the time while Chicago has no problems at all. Jun 20, 2012 at 16:21
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    but in DC universe there are tons of superheroes. The justice league is quite big and operates worldwide. this is not the case for Buffy Jun 20, 2012 at 16:23

2 Answers 2

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Most of the supernatural beings in the Buffy universe seem content to live in quiet. It's a secret world that the general public denies even if it may be just under the surface - easier to assume that demon who drove by was just wearing a costume, right?

Sunnydale was a special place though - being situated over the Hellmouth it attracted many unsavory types looking to harness the powers there, and the long line of unsavory activities occurring around the Hellmouth left quite a collection of dark artifacts for people to stumble on. There's also the simple fact that a hero requires villains and villains require a hero -- many vampires and demons seemed to come to Sunnydale just to challenge the legendary slayer.

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    This point is further brought out by watching Angel. Where there are tons of monsters who just hang out and keep a low profile.
    – shachna
    Jun 20, 2012 at 18:17
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    I would watch Angel, but I found the guy absolutely boring. Jun 20, 2012 at 21:34
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    @santiagozky Angel gets into this cool state between the old boring Angel and the cool evil Angelus. Watch it!
    – mck
    Nov 12, 2012 at 0:27
  • Yeah, power through the first season--it starts getting really great in Season Two. (as much as I love it, similar things could be said about BtVS) Feb 21, 2014 at 19:55
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IIRC during the 3rd season shortly after Xander and Cordelia break up she wishes that Buffy had never come to Sunnydale. During this alternate universe they discuss that the slayer is in Kentucky and you see Sunnydale being destroyed by Vampires but it still has a small hold out group of fighters. Based on this episode I would assume there are small pockets of resistance teams scattered across the globe designed to keep the vampires and demons in large cities in check. Similar to Angel in LA and the Watcher society in London.

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  • yes, the group is called the white hats, I believe Jun 20, 2012 at 21:24
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    Cleveland, I think, not Kentucky - there are a couple of references across the series to another Hellmouth there. Jun 20, 2012 at 22:43

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