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Solitary Slayers

The Slayer is undoubtedly a solitary creature both by definition and, more than likely, by nature too. Every Slayer needs the instinct to survive alone because they are expected to do their jobs with only their Watcher for company, they should not have the circle of friends which Buffy finds so necessary to her and which adds to her efficiency and abilites. But the addition of this support group has been a help, rather than a hindrance, for Buffy as shown in her dealings with Adam and even Glory so this is not a problem, its when there is more than one Slayer that issues arise.

Kendra was the 'perfect' Slayer in many peoples eyes, none more so than Giles's, and yet her life expectancy as a Slayer was shorter than that of a hamster. Could this be because she didn't feel the desparate need to survive because she knew there was another Slayer who could do her job just as well?

For Faith, the issue was need. Nobody really needed Faith and she felt this keenly. Forever in Buffy's shadow she sought out other methods of recognition eventually resulting in her turning to darkness. The Slayer was not meant to have competition in their own field and although sometimes it was healthy for the two Slayers to try to outfight one another and also to train together, this created competition in other areas which was not so healthy.

If Slayers were as efficient in pairs, the Watcher's Council would have, undoubtedly, found away to have more than one in each generation and yet in hundreds of years they have made do with only one. Why would this be unless the presence of two Slayers could create more hassle than its worth? Slayers are designed to be around one at a time, any other way, you get sloppy slaying and a high death rate.