Zack Fair - Final Fantasy
Zack Fair is a non-playable character that originally appeared in Final Fantasy VII, a Japanese RPG game released on the Playstation 1 in the year 1997 by Square. Zack Fair makes appearances in a number of other game titles, spinoffs, and remakes, including Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII, Last Order: Final Fantasy VII and, most importantly, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, a prequel game that features Zack as the central character. He also appears in Final Fantasy: Advent Children, a 3D computer-animated film that takes place after the events of Final Fantasy VII.
Zack Fair’s character was designed by character designer, Tetsuya Nomura and written by Kazushige Nojima. Zack Fair also a fan favorite, being a commonly chosen character for Final Fantasy cosplay enthusiasts and fan artists alike. Zack has also inspired a number of figures as well. On March 3rd, 2020 He is set to make another appearance in the much anticipated Final Fantasy VII Remake.
Appearance and Personality
In appearance, Zack Fair looks incredibly similar to Final Fantasy VII’s protagonist, Cloud Strife. Zack has a sturdy, muscular build and distinctive, bright blue eyes like Cloud. However, Cloud is blonde, while Zack’s hair is black, but is otherwise similarly spiky. His SOLDIER uniform is also nearly identical in style, albeit dark blue in color. Zack also wears dark gloves and sturdy boots. He is often seen wielding a standard SOLDIER sword. Once promoted, Zack Fair uses a Buster Sword and wears a black first-class SOLDIER suit. When it comes to women, he can sometimes be considered a flirt, but he is always serious when it comes to protecting his friends. Zack is incredibly hard-working and is always ready to start working at a moment’s notice. Although he has a rather short attention span, Zack is always bursting with energy. Zack’s mentor, Angeal Hewley, notices Zack’s energetic personality and eventually gives him the nickname “Zack the Puppy”. Zack is also incredibly serious when it comes to the SOLDIER program and dreams of eventually becoming a hero someday.
Creation
Zack Fair was originally not meant to be a part of Final Fantasy VII. However, the plot writer of the game Kazushige Nojima ended up wanting to bring more mystery to the story and decided on including Zack Fair to add more depth to Cloud’s background story and the plot in general. His name is derived from the phrase "fair weather," standing in direct contrast to Cloud Strife's name. After Zack's backstory and position was solidified in Final Fantasy VII, developers decided on using the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII series to add more depth to his story. He is voiced by Kenichi Suzumura in Japanese and by Rick Gomez in English. Suzumura was chosen without auditioning by Nomura simply because of his voice. Western audiences and critics have given much praise to Zack Fair's character and how much he has developed since the original release of Final Fantasy VII.
Backstory
As a child, Zack had always dreamed of becoming a first-class SOLDIER and eventually ran away from home to join Shinra’s military. During his times as a SOLDIER, Zack is taught by first-class SOLDIER Angeal Hewley and is eventually deeply inspired by him. Angeal is the original wielder of the Buster Sword and, using his last breath, gives the sword to Zack while telling him to remember the ways of a true SOLDIER. In Final Fantasy VII, Zack Fair is a senior member of SOLDIER, a paramilitary organization and the military division of the megacorporation known as Shinra. During the game, the player learns that Zack Fair was actually Aerith Gainsborough's first boyfriend, and also a companion of Cloud Strife, the game's main character. Zack Fair actually dies before the opening of the game in an event while protecting Cloud from Shinra's army after they were subjected to genetic experimentation and escaped. Zack Fair was the original user of the Buster Sword, and wielded it before Cloud and gave the sword to Cloud after his death.
Reception
Overall, both public and critical reception of Zack’s character is generally positive. Several polls and lists related to Final Fantasy and video games in general rank Zack fairly high, like a Top Ten Final Fantasy VII Characters list published by IGN in 2008 that ranked Zack in sixth place. Another example is a poll published in the Famitsu magazine. Readers voted in this poll to create the most popular characters in video games in Japan and Zack ended up in 37th place. Jim Sterling from GamesRadar also believes that Zack is likely one of the most attractive male characters of any video game in the world due to both his personality and appearance. Several critics also praised Zack’s character in Crisis Core for being an incredibly dynamic character that is also a welcome contrast to his moody, brooding counterpart.