Zack Fair

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Zack Fair
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII artwork
ザックス・フェア Zakkusu Fea
Hometown	Gongaga
Age	23
Gender	Male
Height	6'3" (190 cm)
Species	Human
Weapon(s)	Katana (Crisis Core), Broadsword, Buster Sword
Affiliation	Shinra Cloud Strife
Occupation	1st Class SOLDIER
English voice actor	Rick Gomez Caleb Pierce (Final Fantasy VII Remake)
Japanese voice actor	Kenichi Suzumura Nozomu Sasaki (Ehrgeiz)

Zack Fair is a character who first appears in Final Fantasy VII. In his debut appearance, Zack is a mysterious character who is only shown in flashbacks. Zack has appeared throughout the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, which greatly expands upon his character and backstory, to the extent of Zack being the main protagonist of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. Zack is friends with Cloud Strife, whom Zack resembles in appearance, but his black hair is his most distinct trait. Zack has also wielded the Buster Sword before him.

History

Final Fantasy VII

In Final Fantasy VII, Zack has only a small role, although it is an important one. Zack is first mentioned by name in Gongaga, his hometown, where his parents are concerned that they have not heard from Zack for years, and they are also unaware of his death. Aerith proceeds to explain that Zack was her first love.

Cloud later realizes that he unknowingly confused some of his past and even aspects of his personality with Zack's. For instance, Cloud believed that he qualified for SOLDIER when it was actually Zack who did. The true flashbacks reveal that both Zack and Cloud battled Sephiroth after he burned down Nibelheim. After Cloud defeated Sephiroth, both Zack and Cloud were taken to be used in experiments by Shinra. Eventually, Zack woke up and was able to escape from imprisonment with a semi-conscious Cloud to Midgar. On the edge of the city, Zack was gunned down by Shinra troops, killing him as a result.

Ehrgeiz: God Bless the Ring

In Ehrgeiz: God Bless the Ring, Zack is an unlockable character who is playable in arcade, versus, and minigame events. Zack fights very similarly to Cloud, and is even capable of wielding a Buster Sword in battle. Several of Zack's moves are shared with Cloud's, albeit renamed.

Compilation of Final Fantasy VII

Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII

In Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII, Zack supports Shinra in their fight against the eco-terrorist group AVALANCHE. During the game, two of his SOLDIER acquaintances are captured and experimented upon, and though Zack is able to bring them back to their senses, he is unable to save them. Zack also makes an appearance during the chapter covering the Nibelheim incident, and later as a boss character when he and Cloud are fugitives from Shinra and are being pursued by the Turks.

Last Order: Final Fantasy VII

The OVA Last Order: Final Fantasy VII follows Zack and Cloud's journey to Midgar with flashbacks of the Nibelheim incident.

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Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

In Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Zack also has a small role, and most of his appearances are flashbacks from Cloud's perspective. Zack also appears in the ending, where he and the now deceased Aerith speak to Cloud.

In the director's cut, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete, Zack's role has been expanded, and he makes an appearance during Cloud's battle with Sephiroth. His death is also shown in the film, where he gives Cloud the Buster Sword and tells him to become his "living legacy."

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII

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Zack is the protagonist of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, which is a prequel to Final Fantasy VII. It deals primarily with Zack's backstory.

Zack is trained as a SOLDIER by his close friend, Angeal Hewley, and hopes to become a hero while working for Shinra. When Angeal, and another SOLDIER, Genesis Rhapsodos, betray Shinra, Zack and Sephiroth are dispatched to kill them, but they decide to avoid doing that if possible. He and Sephiroth learn that both Angeal and Genesis were the result of a Shinra experiment called Project G, where they were injected with Jenova cells prior to being born in an effort to create perfect SOLDIERs. However, both Angeal and Genesis are suffering from secondary effects which led them to antagonize Shinra in the hopes of finding a cure. In the course of the game, Zack befriends Cloud and begins dating Aerith. During a mission to find Angeal and Genesis, Angeal forces Zack to kill him, as he wants to stop hurting people because of his mutations. Before dying, Angeal thanks Zack for stopping him and gives him his Buster Sword. Later, while Zack and Sephiroth search for Genesis and the former Shinra scientist Dr. Hollander, they go to Nibelheim where Sephiroth learns that he too was the result of genetic experimentation involving Jenova. The game then depicts the Nibelheim incident, leading to Zack and Cloud being taken captive and subjected to experiments themselves. Four years pass, Zack and Cloud are able to escape, and Zack learns that Genesis has come to believe the only way he can be cured is by being injected with Sephiroth's cells. As Sephiroth is thought dead, the only source of these cells is now Cloud, and Zack realizes that Genesis plans to kill Cloud. Zack decides to stop Genesis, and after defeating him, he and Cloud head to Midgar, where he hopes to be reunited with Aerith. However, Zack and Cloud are intercepted by Shinra infantry, and Zack is killed. In his dying breath, Zack gives the Buster Sword to Cloud, telling him to be his living legacy. As Cloud stumbles off towards Midgar, Zack is pulled into the sky by Angeal, and wonders if he has become a hero.

Final Fantasy VII Remake

Zack appears at the end of Final Fantasy VII Remake during a flashback scene, where he survives the ambush by Shinra forces and continues dragging Cloud toward Midgar. It is implied that the scene takes place in another timeline from the main narrative.

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep

Zack's first and only Kingdom Hearts-related appearance is in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, where he has a more youthful appearance than in his Final Fantasy incarnation. He is featured prominently in the Olympus Coliseum, commonly participating in tournaments in order to achieve his dream of becoming a hero. Since the game is a prequel to other Kingdom Hearts titles, the staff chose Zack because they wanted a character from a Final Fantasy prequel.

References

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