For example, in A Hole in the World, Angel lets Fred die so as not to kill untold others, whereas Buffy is willing to let the world die to save Dawn, and only finds a way out by sacrificing herself. Idealists view "Buffy" as better because she won't sacrifice her personal values; consequentialists view "Angel" as better because he puts the needs of the many, etc.
Except, the two scenarios aren't really comparable. Because it's "Fred" not "Connor" that Angel lets die. In "Home" - Angel puts the team, the world, LA in great jeopardy to save Connor. He sacrifices everyone to save Connor - and doesn't find another way. He takes the deal with the devil. In fact it can be argued that Fred dies because Angel sacrificed Fred to save his son. A son who tried to kill a mall full of people - who was not an innocent young girl who never hurt anyone and bravely fought alongside her sister.
While in Buffy - Buffy realizes that she can save Dawn and the World, by sacrificing herself. She doesn't allow the world to end, and she doesn't allow Dawn to die. And she doesn't sacrifice her friends for Dawn. She only sacrifices herself.
When it has been other people - for example "Angel", who she has to kill in order to save the world in S2 - she kills him. Actually that's why she balks at killing Dawn and Spike. Angel - notably has never had to make that choice until Fred - and he didn't love Fred the way Buffy loved Angel. But in S7 - she states she'd do it - if there was no other way.
This is why Buffy was a hero and Angel was an anti-hero.
Buffy put others needs first, Angel put his own needs first. Both were consequentialists and idealists - in their own ways. The difference is in tone - Buffy is lighter, Angel is the dark side of both. Both saw the consequences, they just chose which ones mattered the most. Angel never sacrificed himself or his son, he sacrificed his team, which is why notably at the end of Angel - all the original members, his versions of Willow (Wes), Xander (Cordelia), Giles (Doyle), Anya (Gunn), Tara (Fred) - are either dead or soon to be dead - and mainly due to their involvement with him. That's the genre - in noir - the hero isn't a hero, he's an anti-hero, and everyone who champions him is dead by the end of his story. And unlike Buffy, Angel's idealism - was that he would shanshu that he would be seen as a champion. He isn't interested in saving the world - he's interested in being saved. He remains up until the very end deluded about who and what he is - WRH manages to pull a major con on him because of his idealist opinion of himself.
Buffy in contrast sees the good in others, and sees others as worth saving. Unlike Angel, she doesn't want or need to be the hero, she just steps up because she wants to make the world better.
Unlike Buffy, Angel can't share his power - because it is stolen. It's not his. His power comes from sucking life from the living. He's has superpowers purely through being a vampire. And when he's given the opportunity to be human, to no longer be a vampire - he squanders it - believing that if he did so - he'd destroy Buffy? Please.
The writer's took the theme a step further with Cordelia in both The Wish and Birthday. Note that Cordy needs to be the lead actor, important, the center of attention in both episodes. In one - she's killed off early - and the focus shifts to everyone else - not even Buffy is the lead in that episode. No the main characters or heroes are actually Giles and OZ. It's not Buffy being absent from their lives, so much as Buffy and their interaction in Sunnydale being what changed. Because when Buffy pops up - she's bitter, angry, and useless. Everyone dies. While in Birthday - which is a delusion that Skip and the PTB feed Cordy - using Cordy's insecurities to build on it, her deepest wishes and desires. Cordy needs to be important, integral to the team, a superhero. She needs to be a star. She was always Queen Bee. Cordy is the classic narcissist - she has no inner self, all of her self esteem comes from what others think of her, how they view her, how important she is to them. It's no wonder she eventually becomes possessed by a Goddess who reflects everything she most desires.
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Except, the two scenarios aren't really comparable. Because it's "Fred" not "Connor" that Angel lets die. In "Home" - Angel puts the team, the world, LA in great jeopardy to save Connor. He sacrifices everyone to save Connor - and doesn't find another way. He takes the deal with the devil. In fact it can be argued that Fred dies because Angel sacrificed Fred to save his son. A son who tried to kill a mall full of people - who was not an innocent young girl who never hurt anyone and bravely fought alongside her sister.
While in Buffy - Buffy realizes that she can save Dawn and the World, by sacrificing herself. She doesn't allow the world to end, and she doesn't allow Dawn to die. And she doesn't sacrifice her friends for Dawn. She only sacrifices herself.
When it has been other people - for example "Angel", who she has to kill in order to save the world in S2 - she kills him. Actually that's why she balks at killing Dawn and Spike. Angel - notably has never had to make that choice until Fred - and he didn't love Fred the way Buffy loved Angel. But in S7 - she states she'd do it - if there was no other way.
This is why Buffy was a hero and Angel was an anti-hero.
Buffy put others needs first, Angel put his own needs first. Both were consequentialists and idealists - in their own ways. The difference is in tone - Buffy is lighter, Angel is the dark side of both. Both saw the consequences, they just chose which ones mattered the most. Angel never sacrificed himself or his son, he sacrificed his team, which is why notably at the end of Angel - all the original members, his versions of Willow (Wes), Xander (Cordelia), Giles (Doyle), Anya (Gunn), Tara (Fred) - are either dead or soon to be dead - and mainly due to their involvement with him. That's the genre - in noir - the hero isn't a hero, he's an anti-hero, and everyone who champions him is dead by the end of his story. And unlike Buffy, Angel's idealism - was that he would shanshu that he would be seen as a champion. He isn't interested in saving the world - he's interested in being saved. He remains up until the very end deluded about who and what he is - WRH manages to pull a major con on him because of his idealist opinion of himself.
Buffy in contrast sees the good in others, and sees others as worth saving. Unlike Angel, she doesn't want or need to be the hero, she just steps up because she wants to make the world better.
Unlike Buffy, Angel can't share his power - because it is stolen. It's not his. His power comes from sucking life from the living. He's has superpowers purely through being a vampire. And when he's given the opportunity to be human, to no longer be a vampire - he squanders it - believing that if he did so - he'd destroy Buffy? Please.
The writer's took the theme a step further with Cordelia in both The Wish and Birthday. Note that Cordy needs to be the lead actor, important, the center of attention in both episodes. In one - she's killed off early - and the focus shifts to everyone else - not even Buffy is the lead in that episode. No the main characters or heroes are actually Giles and OZ. It's not Buffy being absent from their lives, so much as Buffy and their interaction in Sunnydale being what changed. Because when Buffy pops up - she's bitter, angry, and useless.
Everyone dies. While in Birthday - which is a delusion that Skip and the PTB feed Cordy - using Cordy's insecurities to build on it, her deepest wishes and desires. Cordy needs to be important, integral to the team, a superhero. She needs to be a star. She was always Queen Bee. Cordy is the classic narcissist - she has no inner self, all of her self esteem comes from what others think of her, how they view her, how important she is to them. It's no wonder she eventually becomes possessed by a Goddess who reflects everything she most desires.