In the fictional Buffyverse established by the television series Buffy and Angel, a Watcher is a member of a secret organization, the Watchers' Council, which seeks to prepare the Slayer to fight demonic forces. Watchers are devoted to tracking and combatting malevolent supernatural entities (and particularly vampires), primarily by locating individuals with the talents required to fight such beings and win. More specifically, Watchers are assigned to Slayers, girls that are part of a succession of mystically powered individuals who are destined to face said foes.

Upon a Slayer's demise, the next Slayer is called into duty and is assigned a Watcher. The Watchers' Council trains new Watchers in a private school of some kind. In Never Kill a Boy on a First Date, Giles implies that Watchers are, to a certain extent, "called" or assigned to become Watchers before going to university.

This idea is supported by Watcher families such as the Giles and Wyndam-Pryces. Notable Watchers include Rupert Giles and Wesley Wyndam-Pryce. Giles was Buffy's official Watcher in the beginning of the series and, after being fired by the Council for what was considered an emotional overattachment to the Slayer, became her unofficial Watcher for most of the story's remainder.

After Giles' firing, Wyndam-Pryce became Buffy and Faith's Watcher for a short period of time, eventually being fired by the Watchers after Faith turned rogue and Buffy quit working for them, and moving on to assist the vampire Angel. Gwendolyn Post was an ex-watcher who was fired from the Council for misuse of dark power.

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