Zack Fair

Zack Fair (ザックス・フェア) is a fictional character from the Final Fantasy series by Square Enix. He first appeared as a non-player character in the role-playing game Final Fantasy VII. In the story, Zack is a late member from the paramilitary organization SOLDIER developed by the megacorporation Shinra Electric Power Company. During the game, he is revealed to be Aerith Gainsborough's first boyfriend, as well as Cloud Strife's best friend. Zack ultimately dies protecting Cloud from Shinra's army after escaping from imprisonment and human experimentation. He is the second owner of the Buster Sword (バスターソード), and wielded it before Cloud. Zack also appears in the titles from Compilation of Final Fantasy VII—which are prequels and sequels from the original game— most notably in the prequel Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, where he acts as the protagonist.

Zack originally was not meant to appear in Final Fantasy VII, and was created by scenario writer Kazushige Nojima when he wanted to bring mysteries to the title. He was designed by Tetsuya Nomura and his name derived from "fair weather", to contrast with Cloud Strife's name. With Zack's conceptual backstory already written by Final Fantasy VII, the staff decided to use Compilation of Final Fantasy VII to expand his character. Zack is voiced by Kenichi Suzumura in Japanese and Rick Gomez in English. Suzumura was chosen specifically for his voice by Nomura, and was given the role without an audition. Western critics have praised Zack's character, commenting on his development since Final Fantasy VII, as well as his role within Crisis Core.

Concept and creation
Zack had not existed during the original scenario of Final Fantasy VII, and was created when scenario writer Kazushige Nojima was adding mysteries of the story, most notably Cloud Strife's background which would be deemed as false across the game although the reason for that was initially unknown. Nojima also used Zack to link Cloud and Aerith Gainsborough, as Aerith had seen her past love in Cloud, and as such Zack was used as that past love, while in the original idea Sephiroth was meant to be Aerith's first love interest. The mysteries regarding Zack and Cloud were thought by Nojima as the game continued development, causing some of the scenes of the game to be revised. Director Yoshinori Kitase was surprised by the revelation of Cloud's and Zack's connection as until latter stages of development, he did not know about Zack. Character designer Tetsuya Nomura got the request to design Zack when Final Fantasy VII was reaching the end of development, making the request for concept art sudden for him. Before the late addition of Zack to Final Fantasy VII, Nojima asked the staff to add some parts to some scenes in order to give clues about him despite not revealing to the members the outcome of Zack's existence. Zack appears as a young man with spiky black hair standing 6 feet 3 inches (185 cm) tall. He wears the 1st class SOLDIER uniform, consisting of a black, sleeveless turtleneck, black boots, and armor. In Crisis Core, Zack has two looks: one being the same from the other Final Fantasy VII titles and another during the start of the game which he changes after fighting Angeal. Zack's full name was first revealed in an article from Dengeki PlayStation. Nomura stated that Zack's name was derived from 'fair weather' and contrasted with Cloud Strife's name.

Zack had few appearances in Final Fantasy VII Advent Children, and as a result was not difficult to animate; the team had also acquired his design early on in the production stages, allowing modeling of his character to be taken care of then as well. Nomura had wanted Zack to have a "nice, upbeat voice," which influenced his decision in casting Kenichi Suzumura. Beforehand, Nomura had had dinner with Suzumura, where he had decided that "at that point [Nomura] wanted him to be in one of [Nomura's] projects if the opportunity ever presented itself." Suzumura was selected without an audition for the role; Nomura described that, because Zack had been chosen to be the lead in Last Order: Final Fantasy VII, he wanted "someone who could handle [the] role well." The staff used the OVA as an opportunity to portray Zack "properly" as a "handsome, light-hearted man [who] was in everyone's memory". Rick Gomez did the English voice acting for Zack, debuting in Advent Children.

In an interview with IGN, Yoshinori Kitase explained that when the original game had been created, "Zack was a rather minor character," though Nomura had created an art design and Nojima, one of Final Fantasy VII's scenario writers, had created a "basic concept of his [Zack's] story." Kitase followed by saying "So, you could say that the idea [for the storyline of Crisis Core] has been cooking for 10 years." Before Crisis Core started development, the staff wanted to create PlayStation Portable port of Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII but focused on Zack in contrast to the original version which featured the group the Turks as the protagonists. Zack was established as the protagonist of the game as his fate in the story was already predeterminated. Throughout the game, the staff decided to use a blue sky in some cutscenes to represent Zack while other features in such scenes are meant to be his connections. Various of Zack's actions and events from the game are also meant to increase the number of similarities that Aerith finds in Final Fantasy VII between him and Cloud.

Appearances
In Final Fantasy VII, Zack takes a small role, and is first mentioned in Gongaga, his hometown, where his parents are oblivious to what became of their son and worried for his safety after not hearing from him for years. Aerith also explains that Zack was her first love and that he was a member from the organization SOLDIER. Cloud later realizes that certain memories, past experiences, and parts of his persona were that of Zack's and not his own. Flashbacks reveal that both Zack and Cloud battled the maddened SOLDIER Sephiroth when he burned the town of Nibelheim. After Cloud defeated Sephiroth, both of them were used as experiments for Shinra. One day, Zack woke up and escaped with a semi-conscious Cloud to the city Midgar, but he was gunned down by Shinra troops before reaching the city. While Zack's and Cloud's flashback escape is optional in the English releases of Final Fantasy VII and the International version, it was originally meant to be shown once Cloud discovered the results of Shinra's experiments upon him.

Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, a series of prequels and sequels of Final Fantasy VII, expand Zack's character. In the prequel Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII, Zack supports Shinra in their fight against the terrorist group AVALANCHE. In the battle, two of his SOLDIER acquaintances are captured and experimented on. Unable to save them, Zack is forced to kill his comrades. He 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. Zack has a small role in the film sequel Final Fantasy VII Advent Children, and most of his appearances are flashbacks from Cloud's point of view as well as in the film's end where he and the now late Aerith appear to greet Cloud. In the director's cut version, Advent Children Complete, his role is expanded, making an appearance supporting Cloud while he battles Sephiroth. The original video animation Last Order: Final Fantasy VII included in limited editions of the film, follows Zack and Cloud's journey to Midgar with flashbacks of the Nibelheim incident.

Zack also acts as the protagonist of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, a prequel to Final Fantasy VII. As a SOLDIER, Zack is trained by his close friend, SOLDIER Angeal Helwey, in hopes of becoming a hero while working for Shinra. As Angeal and another SOLDIER, Genesis Rhapsodos, betray Shinra, Zack and Sephiroth are dispatched to kill them, but both decide to avoid doing that. He and Sephiroth learn that both Angeal and Genesis were the result of Shinra's Project G which had injected them with Jenova cells before being born, but both suffer from secondary effects which led them to antagonize Shinra in hopes of finding a cure with the rebelled Dr. Hollander. In the course of the game, Zack befriends Cloud and starts frequenting Aerith. During a mission to find the SOLDIERs, Angeal forces Zack to kill him, to avoid hurting people as a result of his mutations. Before dying, Angeal thanks Zack for stopping him and gives him his Buster Sword. Sometime later, while Zack and Sephiroth search for Genesis and Hollander, they go to Nibelheim where the events of the original game are repraised. After being experimented on for four years by Shinra, Zack learns that Genesis wants to take Cloud who was injected with Sephiroth's cells that can help him avoid suffering from physical degradation. Zack decides to stop him, and after defeating him, he returns with Cloud to Midgar to find Aerith. The events of his death are also revised, as 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 had become a hero.

Zack is an unlockable character in the PlayStation version of the fighting game Ehrgeiz, playable in arcade, versus, and minigame events. He makes his debut appearance in the Kingdom Hearts series in the prequel Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep for the PlayStation Portable. He has a more youthful appearance than in his Final Fantasy appearances. He is featured prominently in the world Olympus Coliseum, commonly participating in tournaments in order to achieve his dream of becoming a hero. As the game is a prequel of the other Kingdom Hearts titles, the staff chose him to be in the game as they wanted a character from a Final Fantasy prequel.

Promotion and reception
Zack has served as the basis for several forms of merchandise, including figurines, as well as being pictured on the Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary Potion soft drink cans. Critical response to Zack's character has generally been positive. In IGN's "Final Fantasy VII: Top 10 Characters" list, Zack made sixth place with writer Dave Smith noting that "his [Zack's] check-out scene in Crisis Core is just about as epic as it gets in videogames." GamesRadar's Jim Sterling found Zack as one of video game's most sexually appealing male characters, commenting on his personality and look. PALGN described Zack as an unfamiliar character in the series since his only appearances were in backstories, and with the release of the Crisis Core, players were able to learn more about his persona such as his connections with Aerith and Cloud. Similarly, PSXextreme's Ben Dutka stated that only players with "halfway decent memories" and a "hardcore completionist mentality" will be able to know remember about Zack's character when playing the game. RPGFan echoed similar comments stating that with Crisis Core, players would be able to learn of Zack's history. IGN UK's Dave McCarthy noted how Zack's role in the story throughout Compilation of Final Fantasy VII evolved, to the point of him getting his own game. When Ayaka finished the song "Why" for Crisis Core, she mentioned that she wanted to deliver it alongside Zack's fate "to the hearts of many people." During February 2010, Famitsu readers voted Zack as the thirty-seventh most popular video game character in Japan.

Zack's role in Crisis Core has also received positive critics. IGN's Ryan Clements praised his growth, particularly commenting on his relationships with the other main characters. 1UP.com's Jeremy Parish agreed with Clements as Zack's story contrast other RPGs' plots and calling his story "the heart of the game." Kevin VanOrd from GameSpot labelled Zack as a "likable and complex hero" and that he "transcends the usual spiky-haired heroism and teenage angst with an uncommon maturity that develops as the game continues." Niall Rough from Acegamez agreed with VanOrd by saying that Zack is a more appealing character than Cloud, praising his personality and other traits. GameSpy's Gerald Villoria described Zack as "King of the Nice Guys", noting that even though he can be a "pretty hate-worthy character if you're the jaded type who mocks the typical Final Fantasy storyline", players who dislike would come to appreciate him. GameDaily's Chris Buffa said that the inclusion of Zack into Crisis Core was one of the things the players would enjoy the most, having found him as a "likable hero". Zack was also called an "endearing main character" by Game Revolution who stated that despite the character goes through the game, he still retains his friendly attitude. Like other reviewers, RPGamer viewed him to have "full, soulful carriage of a Final Fantasy hero" due to his personal conflicts despite his "artfully teased hair and devil-may-care grin."

IGN UK had mixed comments about the character due to his personality being sometimes annoying, it serves to contrast the serious attitudes of the other main characters. Although Eurogamer's Simon Parkin found Zack's physical appearance to be highly similar to Cloud's, he added that "This fan service doesn't put a foot wrong until he reaches into his [Zack's] pocket, pulls out a mobile phone and speaks." He also praised Zack's English voice actor for doing a good job as Zack, noting "his character's maturing and developing over the 15-hour storyline". Similar comments were made by Videogamer.com's Wesley Yin-Poole who called him Cloud's "identical twin in all but hair colour" and complained about his personality which can be "annoying" during the first half of the game. Destructoid agreed, telling players not to expect to enjoy him if they do not like "cocky teenagers" and even labelling him as a "annoying cockhole", having found him quieter in his short cutscene from Final Fantasy VII. IGN AU agreed with Parkin calling Gomez's work as "pretty likeable". On the other hand, Gameplanet criticized Zack's voice finding it more immature than they expected despite considering him younger than in previous titles. GamesRadar's AJ Glasser commented that the way Zack obtains the Buster Sword and the way he gives it to Cloud is the "ultimate payoff" of Crisis Core, stating nevertheless, that the fact that knowing that he will die in ending is a reason to hate it.