Zack’s Legacy Continues in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth?!
- AfroCloud
- Nov 26, 2023
- 9 min read
Updated: Dec 26, 2024
What does Rebirth have in store for Zack?
MASSIVE SPOILER ALERT: If you have not played or seen Final Fantasy VII Remake, Intermission, Advent Children and the original FFVII. DO NOT READ this article! The article contains major spoilers for the ending FF7 Remake and the original game.
One of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s biggest mysteries and surprise is Zack Fair?! In the original Final Fantasy VII and Crisis Core, Zack dies. The eternally upbeat Zack is gunned down after fighting a valiant struggle against a large Shinra army. As Zack is dying, a recovering Cloud crawls toward his beloved friend and mentor.
As his last act, Zack bequeaths Cloud his Buster Sword. Zack tells Cloud he will be his living legacy. Zack passes on and his spirit returns to the planet. He asks, “Have I become a hero?” The heroic story of Zack should end there, right? Not so fast. Final Fantasy VII Remake tells a different story.
Zack’s Last Stand: Final Fantasy VII Remake
After escaping the Shinra Building, Cloud and the party go into a singularity to stop Sephiroth and the Whispers. While Cloud’s party is fighting Sephiroth, the events of Zack’s Last Stand play out again. Does tragedy strike again for Zack? No, quite the opposite happens.
This time, Zack is the last man standing. The army lays defeated with Zack only having a few scrapes and bruises. Meanwhile, Cloud and his party defeat Sephiroth. Sephiroth’s defeat causes the whispers to explode in a brilliant light. The whispers’ explosion causes unknown yet massive changes to both Cloud and Zack’s worlds in Final Fantasy VII Remake.
Wait! Zack Alive Now?!
Some of these changes are apparent in the ending of Intermission. Zack is pacing around in front of Aerith’s church. Wondering how to say “hi” to his dearly beloved after being missing for several years. In his granular upbeat style, Zack bursts in with an excited greeting in the form of,” I’M BACK!”
Unfortunately for Zack, Aerith is nowhere to be found. Instead, Zack finds a church full of people. Grieving people. Upset, a puzzled Zack calls out Aerith’s name.
Why is Zack alive now? Square Enix has said that they wanted to introduce new elements and surprises for veterans and newcomers. One of the elements is Zack Fair. Zack being alive is certainly one hell of a surprise. It’s really amazing for a character who started out as a minor character.
Zack’s Creation
Zack and Cloud
Yes, Zack was originally a minor character who debuted late in Final Fantasy. Initially, Zack’s creation was to help explain Cloud’s backstory. Cloud’s true backstory. In fact, Zack is fundamental to Cloud’s development in Final Fantasy VII.
The development team wanted Cloud to be based on another person. It didn’t hit them until further into development that Zack was the person, they wanted Cloud to emulate.
It is why Cloud and Zack have such a close bond. Furthermore, Cloud looks up to Zack and wants to be just like him. A hero.
Beyond The Lifestream
Sometime after Zack’s death, Cloud impresses Zack memories and fighting style during his time with Avalanche. At this point, Cloud is still recovering from the severe Mako poisoning. The damage of the Mako poison causes him to become Zack which is why Cloud has such significant gaps in his memory.
Even after his death, Zack would continue to be a major influence to Cloud. Zack appears to a struggling Cloud as he fights Sephiroth in Advent Children. Zack encourages Cloud that he had beaten Sephiroth before and can do it again.
Zack even reappears in the ending of Advent Children. Spiritually, he and Aerith are standing in the doorway of the church. Making sure that will be Cloud is okay before they depart to the afterlife again. Even from beyond the grave, Zack continuing his role as Cloud’s mentor and friend.
Zack and Aerith
Zack also served another purpose. As he would also be cast as the lover of Aerith. A role that Sephiroth was intended to fill. But the developers decided to go with Zack as they wanted to increase the disconnection of Aerith and Sephiroth.
The developers still loved the idea of Aerith’s lover. And felt that Zack would be perfect for the role. Aerith feelings for Zack were still strong even after Zack’s passing in Crisis Core. In the original game, Aerith starts to fall for Cloud initially because of Zack. And Cloud acting like his departed friend and mentor is why Aerith shows the same attraction to Cloud.
However, Aerith comes to see that Cloud is his own person. If Aerith is the one chosen for the gold Saucer date. She and Cloud ride the Ferris wheel. While the two have a tender moment, Aerith expresses that she is searching for him. I interpret this as her wanting to get to know the real Cloud.
And Aerith has never let go of Zack either. When she and Cloud are resting on the slide outside of the Sector 7 slums. She asks about Cloud’s rank, and if he knows a 1st Class SOLDIER named Zack. She notes how Cloud and Zack are similar. And she concludes that Zack is the first guy she ever loved.
The Rise of Zack Fair
So, how it is that Zack rose from a minor background character to one of FFVII most beloved character? Yoshinori Kitase, Tetsuya Nomura, and Kazushige Nojima wanted to evolve Zack further.
Unfortunately, due to the time restrictions for Final Fantasy VII looming, the three could not implement this evolution in time. Another key reason is because Zack’s creation and concept came much later in the development of the original game.
Kitase, Nomura and Nojima continue to develop Zack’s character and story. This development occurred over ten years. The three were intrigued with the concept and evolution of Zack. This desire was born because Zack was the perfect solution narratively to Cloud, Aerith, and Sephiroth roles.
Concept art and sketch of Zack
However, the greenlight was given when Yoichi Wada become the new CEO of Square Enix. One of Wada’s initiatives with the company was to expanded the content of already established IPs. And Final Fantasy was no exception.
Thanks to the successes of Final Fantasy X-2 and Final Fantasy VII Advent Children, it was clear that expanding the universes of established IPs was a lucrative prospect. First, Square Enix could reuse aspects of games like Final Fantasy X to quickly create sequels and other entities. Second, there was an appetite by fans of these beloved series for more content.
Kitase and Nojima used this their advantage which allow them to incorporate Zack in more Final Fantasy VII media. Zack was included in projects such as Before Crisis and Advent Children. Zack is also the main protagonist of Last Order. Zack’s true rise to popularity would come in the form of Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core.
Crisis Core
Zack Fair was cast as the main character of Crisis Core. Those who played the Crisis Core fell with love with Zack thanks to his story in Crisis Core. Zack’s eternally upbeat personality is another key reason why players fell in love with his character. Zack’s personality is very similar to Tidus, the main protagonist of Final Fantasy X. And their story arcs are very similar to each other.
This was intentional. As the development team wanted Zack’s personality to be separate from Cloud’s. Cloud is a brooding main character. Zack persona was crafted as an upbeat person.
Thanks to Crisis Core’s success, Zack was thrusted into the spotlight. As more players experience Zack’s story in Crisis Core, the more his popularity and presence rose in the Final Fantasy VII. Heck, Zack’s popularity grew to the point where he would become one of Final Fantasy’s most popular characters.
Crisis Core Reunion
Behind The Scenes
Until last year, the growing desire for a HD remake or remaster arose for Crisis Core. Rumors began to surface on the possibility of a Crisis Core remake. Sometime after the FFVII Remake’s reveal, Nomura had come out and said, there were no such plans for a Crisis Core Remake.
Nomura also expressed because of how Remake differs from the compilation of Final Fantasy VII. Henceforth, Nomura felt that the timing for Crisis Core Remake was not suited at that time. However, all that changes with the ending of Final Fantasy VII Remake.
Because Zack was alive in the ending of FFVII Remake, his survival caused a lot of surprise, intrigue, and confusion within the fan base. Veterans were perplexed and stunned by Zack’s survival. Meanwhile, new players who started with Remake were puzzled by Zack’s appearance.
Later, Zack’s presence in the ending of Intermission created even more mystery and controversy. Zack’s inclusion was CBU1’s declaration of doubling down on Zack’s role in FFVII Remake project going forward. To capitalize on Zack’s popularity and role within Remake, Square Enix made a bold announcement.
Final Fantasy VII 25th Anniversary
During last year’s 25th anniversary stream of Final Fantasy VII, Square Enix unveiled a pleasant surprise. The surprise was an announcement trailer for Crisis Core Reunion. At long last, a HD remaster of Crisis Core was coming. And the game launched on December 13th of last year.
Did Square Enix do this out of the kindness of their own hearts? Yes and no. There are reasons why they have released Crisis Core Reunion.
First, they wanted to release Crisis Core Reunion so they can capitalize on Zack and Crisis Core financially. And the most beloved prequel of FFVII is a sure-fire way to accomplished that feat. This is especially the case for FFVII veterans and newer fans converted from Remake.
Crisis Core is one of Final Fantasy 7’s beloved stories. You could argue that Crisis Core is one of the best side games and prequels in Final Fantasy as a whole. And bringing into the modern age is a good move by Square Enix.
Second, CBU1 wanted new players to get to know Zack. Zack is no doubt going to be extremely important to the Remake trilogy going forward. CBU1 also revamped Crisis Core with HD graphics and gameplay elements from the VII Remake.
Furthermore, the English voice actors for Remake reprise their roles for Crisis Core Reunion. In order to make Crisis Core Reunion part of the continuity of VII Remake.
Zack’s Future in ReBirth
While CBU1 have pledge that they will remain faithful to original story of FFVII in Rebirth. Similarly, they will expand and revamp some elements similar to Remake. However, there is one paradox that flips the overall narrative entirely. That paradox is Zack Fair.
Alone, Zack being alive is already a major shakeup for Rebirth. We already know through Nomura that Rebirth is divided into three worlds. And each world is represented by Cloud, Sephiroth and Zack respectively.
However, Sephiroth words in the Release Date Announce Trailer suggest that these worlds will merge in the Reunion. Could all three worlds intersect towards the end of Rebirth? Will it be in the Forgotten Capital where the “ultimate fate of Final Fantasy VII” will occur? And if these worlds collide what impact will Zack have?
Another aspect to consider is the Whispers. Hamaguchi has expressed through interviews that the Whispers will return. This time, they will have a different role in Rebirth. In another answer, however, Hamaguchi has said that Whispers and Zack will be connected.
"The second are the deviations from the original game. Overall, we wanted the player to follow the familiarity of how this game progresses in the same way as the original, while still picking up on subtle differences in certain details, which are meant to keep the player on the edge of their seats, speculating what those deviations might mean for the story’s climax. In the previous title, the Whispers played this narrative role, whereas this time around, Zack also joins in. He will certainly entertain and wrangle the player in the best way possible.
Both of these two elements are scattered all throughout FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH and will surely provide many surprises for fans." - Naoki Hamaguchi Destructoid
Furthermore, the impact of what occurred after the battle with Whispers will be told through Zack. Another thing that Hamaguchi has revealed to us. Through Zack, we will see all of the after effects from the battle with the Whispers.
Zack will have his own episode in Rebirth. The details of Zack’s episode are unknown at this point. And there is gameplay of Zack in Rebirth. However, Hamaguchi and Kitase have been tight lipped about this gameplay and Zack’s story.
"Furthermore, as you know, within the original Final Fantasy 7, the character Zack Fair is one that doesn't appear as much in the original title," he said. "However, we see at the end of Remake that he has appeared, which, you know, is quite a difference from the original title. And as for Rebirth, there will be a new episode with Zach, that will contain even more of him than the Remake. I'm not able to say much more than this as I would like for players to play and experience this with it in their own hands." - Hamaguchi and Kitase IGN
The Unknown Journey
We have no idea how things will unfold with Zack. If one thing is for certain, Zack’s presence in Rebirth will be a wild ride. Considering that Crisis Core is already an emotional rollercoaster thanks to Zack.
How will Zack affect things in Rebirth? What changes will he bring to Rebirth? Could he save a certain someone from their fate?
But there are more burning questions. Does Zack’s role end in Rebirth? Will he be extended beyond Rebirth?
In my opinion, I don’t think so. With everything that Square Enix has done with Zack suggest otherwise. First, they bring him back. Second, look at the ways they are using him in Rebirth and the Remake project as a whole. Lastly, Sqaure brought back Crisis Core in the remastered form of Reunion.
What do you think about all this? First, are you happy that Zack is alive? Also do you how do think Zack’s story will unfold in Rebirth? And what will Zack’s legacy be when it all said and done? Let me know in the comments below.
Sources:
A major shout out and thanks to Final Fantasy Union for their two Zack Videos which provide a lot of background info for this article:
Also big thnaks to Shinra Archaeology Department for their excellent translations and sources.
And thanks to IGN and Destructoid for their interviews.
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