Oz Osbourne
A taciturn, guitar-playing teen who becomes Willow's boyfriend and discovers he is a werewolf.
Daniel "Oz" Osbourne is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, portrayed by Seth Green. Green also portrays the character in one episode of the spin-off series Angel. In Buffy, Oz is a taciturn, guitar-playing teen who becomes Willow's boyfriend. He is a recurring character in the second season who first appears in the episode "Inca Mummy Girl". He discovers he is a werewolf in the episode "Phases". Green gets elevated to main cast for the third season, and departs from the series in season 4. Green portrays the character for a final time in the season 4 finale "Restless" as part of a dream sequence. The character made a canonical return in the 2007 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight storyline "Retreat".
Quick Facts
- Role
- Werewolf; Musician
- First appearance
- Season 2, Episode 2 ('Inca Mummy Girl')
Lore & Background
Oz's most outstanding trait is his detached, ironic approach to life, masking a deeply philosophical interior and a very calm, devoted, gentle nature. He is also the lead guitarist for the band Dingoes Ate My Baby, which performs frequently at The Bronze. A high school senior, one year above Willow and the rest of the group, he is highly intelligent and "tests well", but his only real ambition lies in music. He notices Willow in her Eskimo costume at a dance at The Bronze, and seems to be interested in her at first sight; but does not meet her directly until several episodes later.
They have several dates, on one of which he witnesses a vampire being dusted by Buffy for the first time, and is unsurprised upon learning vampires exist and merely remarks that "it explains a lot". After this he becomes a member of the Scooby Gang, helping with research and fighting. In the episode "Phases" Oz learns he has become a werewolf, turning into a monster on the three nights around a full moon, having been bitten on his finger by his cousin Jordy.
On his third night as a wolf, Oz is nearly killed by werewolf hunter Gib Cain for his pelt, but is saved by Buffy and the Scooby Gang, with whose help he quickly finds a way to minimize the danger posed by the wolf: he locks himself into a cage for the appropriate nights, watched over by the Scoobies in shifts. The revelation that Oz is a werewolf does not dissuade Willow from dating him, and they become a couple.
Reader's Guide
Oz originated as a temporary cast member for the show. He was based on a student with whom Buffy-creator Joss Whedon attended college, as Whedon mentions in his commentary on "Innocence" in the Season Two DVD boxed set. In the writers' original plans Oz was to be killed early in season 2 by a vampire, presumably Angelus, before this dubious honor went to Jenny Calendar. The plan changed, as shown in "Phases" when Oz's plot is expanded as he becomes a werewolf. On the season 4 featurette: Oz Revelations: A Full Moon, the writers related Oz's inne...
Did You Know?
- Seth Green portrays Oz in one episode of the spin-off series Angel, titled 'In the Dark'.
- Oz's band Dingoes Ate My Baby is named after the widespread news coverage of the death of nine-week-old Azaria Chamberlain in Australia in 1980.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Oz Osbourne?
Daniel 'Oz' Osbourne is a musician and werewolf introduced in Season 2 who becomes Willow Rosenberg's boyfriend. He is portrayed by Seth Green and joins the Scooby Gang as a recurring ally before becoming a main cast member.
Does Oz Osbourne appear in Angel?
Seth Green reprised his role for a single episode of the spin-off series titled 'The Ring.' In this appearance, Oz briefly reconnects with Angel to assist in a case involving a supernatural artifact before returning to his own storyline.
More in Characters & Cast
Elsewhere in Buffy the Vampire Slayer
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