Zack

Appearance

Zack's signature appearance is a tall, well-built man with spiky black hair, and the iconic sky blue "mako eyes" common to SOLDIER members. In his most iconic appearance as a SOLDIER First Class, he dresses in black uniform, wearing gloves and boots, and wields the Buster Sword. He also has an X-shaped scar on his cheek, a silver stud earring in his left ear, and a single lock of hair hanging down in front of his face.

As a SOLDIER 2nd Class, prior to promotion, Zack wears a dark blue SOLDIER uniform (instead of the red and magenta most SOLDIER 2nd Class members are seen wearing), with his gloves and boots, and wielded a standard SOLDIER sword. His spiky black hair as a 2nd Class is shorter, and he has several bangs framing his face, while lacking the scar and ear stud. While in Costa del Sol, Zack wears black shorts with a white cord and a yellow design and wields a parasol for a makeshift weapon.



Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-
Zack Fair 1st Class from Crisis Core Reunion battle render

1st Class battle render in Crisis Core Reunion.
Main article: Zack (Crisis Core player character)

In Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-, Zack is the main (and only) playable character. He uses abilities via materia and can use the Materia Fusion mechanic to create new ones and improve existing ones. These and the accessories, which have various effects, are the player's main source of improvements to Zack's abilities. Zack's limit breaks come in the form of Digital Mind Wave, capable of performing attacks used by the people he meets and the summons he has defeated. Interestingly, his weapon is not an equippable gear, rather what he wields depends on where the player is in the story.

In Reunion, Zack gains access to a special attack stance after receiving the Buster Sword, rendering him unflinchable while preparing a powerful attack. Enemies defeated by this attack as well as Abilities raises the weapon's profiency, which provide additional benefits. Additionally, he can absorb a portion of AP and MP off of defeated enemies through the Necrosmose trait.
Umbrella zack

In Costa del Sol, Zack fights with a parasol (an allusion to Final Fantasy VII, where Aeris can obtain an Umbrella for a weapon). Zack's normal victory pose is a combination of Cloud's and Squall Leonhart's, involving swinging his sword twice, then spinning it and returning it to its holder on his back. Zack's default limit break (Chain Slash) resembles Cloud's later Limit Break, Cross-slash. The slashes Zack performs in Chain Slash correspond to the stroke order of the Japanese kanji that appears in Cloud's Cross-slash Limit Break.

Zack can fight himself as Experiment No. 114 and Experiment No. 123 in the optional missions.

If the player performs the correct actions in Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- by finding and talking to Cissnei during the time Junon is under attack, Zack learns he has a fan club like many other 1st Class SOLDIERs. Known simply as the "Zack Fair Fanclub", the player's actions determine its popularity by the end of the game.

Abilities

Zack had exceptional skills in swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat. This allowed him to defeat both Angeal and Genesis, two of the most powerful SOLDIER members, and present a challenge to Sephiroth despite ultimately failing. Zack also had tremendous durability, fighting an entire Shinra army alone in his last stand, and taking out Fort Tamblin's defenses by himself. His combat skills led Hojo to consider him worthy of being used in tests against powerful monsters.

Zack was competent in using magic granted to him by materia. His most notable other attacks came from Digital Mind Wave, wherein he copied the skills from his allies, as well as monsters and creatures after gaining their summon materia and items, respectively. Beyond this, Zack showed competency with a sniper rifle, something he was averse to using, but credited to Shinra's Auto-Assist System rather than his own skill.

Zack possessed strong physical fitness, demonstrated in his squats. A personal hobby of his, Zack was described as "unbeatable" at squats, and Lazard even worried they were "all he was good for" before sending Zack off to Wutai. Zack is also capable in many harsh terrains, such as snow mountains, something he owed to him being a "country boy". Zack also demonstrated handywork, building Aerith's flower cart.

Zack is listed as 6'3" (or 190 cm) in the original Crisis Core English script, specifically in a line spoken by the receptionist in the Shinra Building. However, in Japanese materials prior, including the Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary Ultimania and the Japanese Crisis Core script, he was listed as 185 cm, which translates to 6'1". His height was corrected to 6'1" in the Crisis Core Reunion script.

Personality

Zack is upbeat, optimistic, kind, and driven, beaming with enthusiasm and energy even under dire circumstances. His energetic nature is coupled with a short attention span and restlessness, earned him the moniker "Zack, the Puppy" when his mentor spoke of him to others. Zack is extremely affable, befriending people quickly with ease, and gaining the trust of allies. He is similarly flirty and charming with women. Over time, the dire circumstances Zack faced did not make him bitter or pessimistic, but rather matured him away from his more restless behavior, maintaining his positive and hopeful attitude even in his latter days.

Zack's core motivation is to become a hero and protect his honor, his guiding principle. When fighting Wutai, he affirms loyalty to comrades while equivocating as to which side is right, but spares the captain's life rather than act out of cruelty. When he eventually clashes with former comrades, he does so reluctantly, after trying each time to save them. His quest to see good in people and to support them allows him to inspire, but sometimes lead to naivete. Zack's drive is a direct contrast to Genesis, who seeks heroism for the glory, validation, and superiority coming with it, where Zack seeks to surpass only himself. Though he grew cynical of his own past ambivalence as to what he was fighting for, his commitment to honor and heroism stuck with him to the end, reiterating his mantra in his last stand.


The mantra "Embrace your dreams" and "Protect your SOLDIER honor" came from his mentor, Angeal. The two had mutual admiration, Angeal writing to his mother about Zack and recommending him to 1st Class, while Zack matured under his guidance. Angeal had been described as the "spiritual leader of SOLDIER", something Zack inherited by passing on his legacy, as he served as an inspiration for comrades such as Cloud, Luxiere, and Kunsel. Zack's affable nature gained him the trust of those typically slower to open to others, including Cissnei, Tseng, and Sephiroth, each at points defying the company's orders with or for Zack. Zack's more flirty nature was more apparent with his girlfriend, Aerith, who was more reserved before meeting him but opened up to him, even adopting his flirty ways herself years later.