Anya was first introduced in the episode "The Wish." She was a new student at Sunnydale High who later turned out to be Anyanka, the Patron Saint of Scorned Women. Granting Cordelia's wish for vengeance that Buffy would have never come to Sunnydale, she turned the town into a destructed version ruled by vampires. The spell was later broken along with her source of power, Anya's necklace. As a result, Anya was rendered powerless, and a mere mortal. Twelve hundred years old, and stuck in the body of a high school student.

She attempted to get her powers back in the episode "Doppelgangland" by doing a spell with Willow that would bring her necklace back, but instead brought the vampire Willow from the alternative Sunnydale to the present. She remained a mortal, and was forced to live the life of a teenager. Out of desperation for a date, Xander agreed to take her to the Prom. Then, Xander told her about the upcoming Ascension, and she was able to provide the Scooby Gang with some valuable information, considering in her many years of life, she'd witnessed an Ascension.

Not wanting to stick around and see if she could survive a second, she ran away from Sunnydale but later returned, wanting to know where her relationship with Xander was going. Her approach to getting Xander was simple and direct, dropping her clothes to the floor and suggesting sex to an 18-year-old boy. Beginning in "Fear, Itself" she and Xander had started to build a relationship together. THe relationship continued to get serious throughout season 5 and in "The Gift" Xander proposed to Anya, promising her marriage if they survived Glory's plan to bring hell on earth. This season Anya and Xander have been making plans for their wedding after breaking the news to the scoobies.

Emma Caulfield is the actress who portrays Anya. She began the role in the third season episode, "The Wish" as the Patron Saint of Scorned Women Anyanka posing as a high school student. She was asked back for a later episode, "Doppelgangland" and then again in later episodes as they developed her character as a 1200 creature trapped in the body of a high school girl. Her role then developed into a recurring guest star and eventually a regular in season 5.

One of Emma Caulfield's earlier roles was as Susan Keats in the long-running TV series, Beverly Hills, 90210 in 1995-96. From there, she went on to a role as Lorraine Miller in the daytime soap opera General Hospital. In addition to those roles, and her role on Buffy, Emma has had guest roles on Nash Bridges, Silk Stalkings, Weird Science, Renegade and Saved by the Bell: The New Class Recently in 2001 one Emma has appeared in two movies, Chance and Don't Peek. Emma also Identifies herself as a Republican, and has said she would take a break from acting to actively campaign for Elizabeth Dole, in the event that Ms. Dole runs for president again in a future election.