Rupert Giles (better known as just Giles) is Buffy's Watcher. His family has had a long tradition with The Watchers Council with his grandmother and father both being Watchers in their own time. It was revealed when Giles was only ten years old that he too would be expected to follow in the same path, that it was his destiny. Giles was bitterly dissapointed as he either wanted to be a fighter pilot or a grocer.

While growing up through his teens Giles became interested in the supernatural and forces of darkness. While he was studying in London he fell in with a group of students who were also interested in the occult inculding the notorius Ethan Rayne. Together they dabled there way in the occult and even called upon a demon named Eyghon the Sleep Walker, who would inhabit one of them while they were sleeping. However this would backfire on the group as one day the friend who was inhabited by Eyghon died.

Despite all this, Giles set back on the right path that his father had laid out for him and Giles joined the Watchers Council. Giles was a member for many years, during which time he was also a curator at the British Museum. But later he was the given the Council's most important assignment, to become the new Slayer's Watcher - to become Buffy's Watcher.

Buffy had already had one Watcher in L.A called Merrick however he was killed. So when family problems caused her parents to split and Buffy and her mother Joyce decided to move to Sunnydale, Giles became Buffy's Watcher. Giles had easy access to the Slayer as well. He was employed as the Sunnydale High librarian, the same High School in which Buffy would be attending.

At first Buffy was very reluctant to accept that she was the Slayer, the Chosen One, but after a while she came to realize that it was her destiny and she could not escape it. Giles soon became Buffy's friend, mentor and trainer. Though Giles did not apporve, Buffy soon got her friends involved namely Xander and Willow in which they would form the "Scooby Gang."

Giles was not only responsible for the bulk of the research on the evils that would lurk into Sunnydale but also for the casting of certain spells to help defeat spells which had been cast which affected the community. There is no doubt that his previous knowledge and workings in the occult aided him in this process. Giles also became a mentor for Willow as she too found herself interested in magic and Giles helped her along and made sure she did not lose control of spells that she was casting.

Though Giles was always stalwart in his work as Watcher and mentor to Buffy and to a lesser extent Willow, and a figurehead to the Scooby Gang, he himself has gone through a great deal of change since arriving at Sunnydale. Upon arriving he was the "stiff-upper-lipped" Brit his father and Council had made him to be. However over time and with the help of Buffy he began to loosen up to the extent to which it made him a better Watcher, but got him into deep trouble with the Council.

Giles would experience many horrible experiences while executing his duties as Watcher. His girlfriend Jenny Calender was revealed to be conspiring against Buffy and Angel and was murdered by Angel when he found out she was trying to restore his soul. Angel then abducted and tortured Giles. Kendra, the other slayer, was killed under his watch.

Despite events such as Angels return from hell with a soul and Buffy trying to cover him up and hide his return from Giles, Giles developed paternal feelings for Buffy of which the council did not agree of. As is Council tradition Giles was forced to conduct a test for Buffy on her eighteenth birthday, which betrayed her trust and put her and Joyce in grave danger from the mad vampire Zachary. Giles broke Council rules and aided Buffy to overcome Zachary, but as a result and citing Giles's ovious fatherlike affection for Buffy, the Council terminated his duties as Watcher and brought in a new Watcher Wesley Wyndham-Price to replace him.

After the High School was blown up to kill the Mayor who had become a pure demon, Giles's life altered dramatically. After the horrible year he had just experienced, he began to relax a bit more. Buffy was going to college and like himself no longer working for the Council. She had developed not only her slaying skills but also her planning and research skills. Though she still needed counseling, knowledge and friendship through Giles, she no longer needed him as Watcher. Giles's role tamed down to that of being just another member of the group while Buffy had moved to the figurehead. He also found new love in an English woman called Olivia, who only recently became aware of Giles' background into the supernatural.

Giles: "Don't taunt the fear demon."

Xander: "Why? Can he hurt me?"

Giles: "No, it's just...tacky."

Yet after Buffy's Freshman year at College, she had a run in with Count Dracula himself who saw evil in her powers. This threw Buffy and she came back to her most trusted mentor - Giles. Upon doing so she asked that he become her Watcher again so that she can understand her power more and maybe shine more light in the dark areas of her power. So with Giles now owning the Magic Shop he has built in their own gym in which he and Buffy can train together to get the most out of her ability. By also owning the Magic Shop Giles is at a great advantage at having access to books that can help them destroy any evil that may be leashed upon them by living on the Hell Mouth.

Buffy, I've been awake all night. I know I'm supposed to teach you self-reliance, but I can't leave you out there to fight alone. The hell with what's right! I'm ready to back you up. Let's find that evil and fight it together!" - Giles in "THE FRESHMAN"
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