In classic tales featuring noble heroes, there is often a strong imbalance between the role of the (mostly male) champion and the (mostly female) protected one. Recently, there has arisen a tendency to switch gender roles, displaying strong female protagonists doing the jobs of men. On BtVS, the same appears to be the case. Yet there is something conspicuous going on. While embarking on an almost text-book quest to empower women, this is not done in ignorance of the role of men. On the contrary, it is clearly shown that empowerment shall not lead to a mere reversal of role schemes, but to a new balance, both on the side of the heroes and that of the enemies, as adversarial forces and champions alike always carry both male and female attributes. It is not just that women like Buffy, Willow and Cordelia are enabled to play a critical role on the levels of power and championship, it is also that the men around them are freed from the emotional estrangement that often goes with classic male roles. This happens in accordance with findings in psycho-analysis by Arno Grün and Erich Fromm who emphasize the lack of symmetry between male and female roles with regard to power and emotionality, so that the search for the soul on BtVS and Angel can be understood as the search for the sane, balanced, dis-estranged psyche.