"I'm shot. Wow. It's odd... and painful."
Oz is one of the relatively new characters to the Buffy universe and he really is a mystery man.
Let's see. . . We know that Oz is the lead guitarist with the local rock band 'Dingoes Ate My Baby' who have played a gig at the Bronze. The first time we met him was when the band were performing at the costume dance for the foreign exchange students. He saw Willow (dressed as an eskimo),for the first time and was besotted,("who's that girl?). Oz and Willow met up again at Career week when they were both offered jobs at an (unnamed) software firm.
So it can be presumed that Oz is quite brillant, but his only ambition is to achieve an E flat, diminished 9th chord on his guitar, ("It's a man's chord.")
Then Oz saved Willow's life by taking a stray bullet in his arm when one of the Order of Taraka tried to assassinate Buffy. It was the start of a beautiful relationship, (nerd solidarity, as Willow believes)
Through Willow, Oz became one of the Scooby gang, getting invited along to Buffy's birthday party and keeping his cool when Buffy crashed through a window and staked a vampire before nearly getting strangled by a disembodied arm.
But Oz is a man with secrets of his own. A spate of wild animal attacks plagued Sunnydale, with Cordelia and Xander nearly becoming Werewolf supper. They had no idea who the wolf-boy was until Oz woke up naked in the woods behind his house. A quick phone call to his Aunt Maureen revealed that his cousin Jordy (who'd bit him) was actually a little werewolf (bless him) and because he bit Oz so was Oz.
Oz took it quite well even going as far as getting handcuffs and shackles to prevent him hurting anyone else. Unfortunately, as he was starting to change an angry Willow (Angry because Oz was so distant) turned up on his doorstep determined to have it out with him. Her rant was interupted, mid-flow, by Oz's sudden wolfiness and urges to attack her.
Willow managed to escape Oz and go to the library for help. Giles, Willow and Buffy tracked Oz down in the woods, just as he was about to get killed by a werewolf hunter and subdued him with a tranquilizer gun. Now he spends his three-days-of-the-month locked up (most of the time) in the Library's bookcage.
Oz, being a senior was due to graduate that year, but his habit of not turning up to classes and forgetting to go to summer school meant that come September Oz was back at Sunnydale High again, this time as the highest-scoring-senior-not-to-graduate.
Senior Year (Take Two)
With Buffy gone and the vampires still treating Sunnydale as their own personal larder, Oz joined Willow and Xander in some summer-SLayage, managing to dust 6 out of 10 vamps, which is not bad going.
When Buffy returned, oz helped the rest of the gang organise her welcoome home party, teaching everyone the difference between a gathering, a shindig and a hootnanny. He even supplied the Dingo action. It was certainly a party to remember.
Even Faith's arrival caused little change in the guitar-strumming werewolf (good image isn't it :) ) but his and his friend's relationship was tested to the limit when a boy from school turned up dead with all the signs of a werewolf attack and the window in the bookcage was open. Being considered a 'cold blooded jelly donut' was a little tough on Oz, especially when Willow seemed convinced that it was him that was behind the attacks. It wasn't though, it was actually the handiwork of a slightly scary friend of Scott Hope's.
Oz and Willow's friendship was going from strength to strength. he even wrote a song for her which the Dingoes performed at the Homecoming dance. Unfortunately, love doesn't run smoothly for Werewolves in love, especially when you catch your girlfriend having smoochies with her oldest friend. Happily though, they got back together (after major apologies by Willow) which did lead to some Barry White stylee amusement.
Love didn't run smoothly either in the alternate universe where Willow was a vamp, Oz was still a Scooby gang member, and ended up killing vampire Willow in a fight in the factory.
Back together and working things out, Oz (with Xander) saved Willow form being burnt at the stake.
Buffy's temporary telepathy showed just how deep Oz really is. For a guy who says so little he thinks so much. Very philosophical chappy.
Graduation Day approacheth and while all around him panicked Oz kept his cool, much to Willow's annoyance. Oz showed her (in a rather unconventional way I feel) how he panicked, at the same time showing her how much he loved her. Aww bless.
Willow and Oz even arrived late for their own Graduation because Oz 'Panicked' :D
Surveying the ruins of the school after the explosion, Oz commented on how they survived everything, before leading them off into the night.
UC Sunnydale Freshman Year
Even though Oz (like Willow) could have gone anywhere he wanted, he stuck with Willow and stayed in Sunnydale, joining Buffy and Willow as Freshmen at UC Sunnydale. Probably taking Philosophy :)
Oz's biggest fear is not being able to control his werewolf side and possibly hurting Willow while he's a wolf. This was something that was picked up on by Gachnar the fear demon that fateful Halloween when Oz started to change and he couldn't control it. And given his love for Willow is is doubly distressing when he falls for the mysterious lead singer of Shy, Verruca. It becomes slightly understandable when it's discovered that she's a werewolf, but she's one who doesn't lock herself up when the full moon comes, instead she lets herself go and gives into her primal side. Oz is extremely attracted to her, but is horrified, when on the morning after the second night of the full moon he wakes up in her arms. The third night he decides it would be best if they lock themselves in together, so no one will get hurt, but the next morning Willow finds them there and her heart is broken.
She storms of and begins a spell to ensure that Oz and Verruca can never love anyone or anythign ever again,. but when it comes to complete the spell she can't do it, much to Verruca's amusement. She is about to kill Willow when Oz shows up. They both turn into wolves and Oz rips her throat out. It is the first thing he's ever killed. he goes for Willow next, but Buffy's there with a tranquilizer gun.
Oz decides that he needs to leave to find a way to control the wolf within and leaves Willow crying in his bedroom as he drives out of Sunnydale.
The road to redemption is a long one, going via Mexico, South America and Tibet. When Oz does return to Sunnydale, he can control the beast within, all it takes is some charms, chanting and a few herbs. He returns on a night of the full moon and shows Willow how he can walk in the moonlight and not change. Willow is very pleased, but she loves someone else now.
When Oz discovers that Tara is his love-rival he does lose his cool and transforms there and then. he goes for Tara but luckily the Initiative are around and they manage to capture him. he is taken to the Initiatvie headquarters and subjected to a series of tests and experiements to discover why he can change at will.
He is rescued by Buffy, Riley and the Scoobies. He now makes another difficult decision. he decides to leave Sunnydale again, this time for good. Willow elicits too many strong emotions in him to control, and seeing her with someone else would make him lose control. he doesn't want to be the cuase of any harm to Willow. So he gets into his van and drives off again. maybe never to return.
Although he does pop up in Willow's dream. Naturally he features in quite a bit of it. Xander tells him that Willow and Tara perform 'spells' together and thinking about it makes him want to perform spells of his own. And when Willow is feeling her most insecure he whispers with Tara.