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Dawn Summers
The arrival of Dawn Summers was foreshadowed in a cryptic dream sequence in season four. In "This Year's Girl" a still comatose Faith said while making a bed with Buffy in Dawn's future room, "Little sis coming. I know." Buffy replied, "So much to do before she gets here." In the season finale "Restless", Tara warned Buffy to "be back before Dawn."
In 2000, a Czech Republic-based brethren known as the Monks of Dagon came into possession of The Key, a mystical ball of energy that can open a portal to all dimensions. Once opened, it would create chaos on Earth as hell dimensions flood into this world until the energy is used up and the portal closed. The monks wanted to put this dangerous power to good use, but forces of darkness tracked them down. In an act of desperation, three surviving monks used powerful magics and used part of Buffy to forge it into human form - a fourteen-year-old girl - and sent it to the Slayer as a sister to protect it from the unstable Glorificus. Also known as Glory, the hell-god was bent on returning to a hell dimension from which she had been exiled for being too vicious.
Michelle Trachtenberg debuted as a guest in "Restless", the season four finale. But Dawn appeared at the very end of the episode "Buffy vs. Dracula ", when Buffy walked into the living room (preparing for a date at the movies), Dawn was standing next to her. Buffy's mother then suggested; "Buffy, if you're going to the movies, why don't you take your sister?" and both Buffy and Dawn shouted "MOM!". She became a series regular in the last three seasons, appearing in all 66 episodes. Her character, Dawn Summers, was supposedly born to Hank and Joyce Summers in 1987 in Los Angeles. Dawn's immediate family were unaware of her mystical origin for a while as they had been imbued with artificial memories of her as Buffy's younger sister. Only those "outside reality," such as mental patients, see Dawn's true nature.
Her brain tumor let Joyce see that Dawn was different, and Dawn struggled to accept her existence and others' love upon learning the truth. After the shocking death of Buffy, she struggled with kleptomania, overcoming her problems with the help of Rupert Giles and friends. By becoming more involved with Buffy's slaying, Dawn grew less dependent on those around her. She began to take an active role in helping the Scooby Gang battle its foes.
Dawn is a human being who the mentally unstable can see is really a green ball of energy. With the right ritual, Dawn's blood opens a dimensional portal to all universes, bringing chaos and destruction to Earth within minutes. Dawn's experience in battling vampires and demons has made her a more capable fighter and spellcaster with the ability to cast spells from memory. She can also read a variety of languages ranging from Turkish to Latin. Dawn has grown to rarely flinch when in danger, and her loyalty to her sister and friends is absolute.
Dawn has never been considered a real part of the gang by any of its members, especially Buffy. There have been many occasions when Buffy has told Dawn either to go out of the room or to stay away from an argument or a fight, which extremely annoys Dawn as she considers herself more than capable of fighting and expressing her point of view. The most blatant child-like treatment of Dawn was in the season 6 episode "Older and Far Away" when Anya speaks to her as if she was speaking to a 5 year old child, instead of a 15 year old teenager.
The only person who Dawn relates to is Spike, who treats her with respect. Dawn develops a slight crush on Spike, but nothing comes of it.
Dawn befriends Tara early in season 5 since neither of them are considered to be part of the Scooby Gang at that point. Dawn was deeply affected by Tara's death, finding the courage to voice her opinion of what Warren deserved.
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