Originally, the role of her first love was to have been fulfilled by the game's antagonist Sephiroth. Zack was the first person Aerith loved, thus creating an emotional connection between herself and Cloud, because he reminds her of him.
Nojima also used Zack to link Cloud and Aerith Gainsborough, as Aerith had seen something of Zack in Cloud.
Nojima had always planned for Cloud Strife's memories of his life to be proven false as the game went on, but he had not decided on how to implement this until he hit on the character of Zack. Zack did not exist in the original scenario of Final Fantasy VII, but was created only when scenario writer Kazushige Nojima decided to add some mystery to the plot, most notably in relation to Cloud Strife's background. Western critics have praised Zack's character, commenting on his development since Final Fantasy VII. Suzumura was chosen specifically by Nomura for his voice, and was given the role without an audition. Zack is voiced by Kenichi Suzumura in Japanese and Rick Gomez in English. With Zack's conceptual backstory in place for Final Fantasy VII, the staff decided to use Compilation of Final Fantasy VII to expand upon his character. He was designed by Tetsuya Nomura, and his last name is derived from "fair weather," to contrast with Cloud's last name, Strife. However, scenario writer Kazushige Nojima wanted to bring a sense of mystery to the title, and created the character to help complicate Cloud's backstory. Zack was not originally a part of Final Fantasy VII 's story during development. Zack died in the weeks leading up to the opening of Final Fantasy VII, to protect Cloud from Shinra's army after they had escaped from imprisonment. Zack later appears in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII works Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII, Last Order: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and, most significantly, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, a prequel to the original game of which he is the main character, and which expands greatly on his backstory.Īlthough Zack is already dead at the start of Final Fantasy VII, is rarely mentioned and only appears late into the story via flashbacks, he is a crucial part of the game's story, as Cloud Strife, the main character, unknowingly confused parts of his own past with Zack's following traumatic events involving the two and Sephiroth while Cloud originally believes himself to be member of the paramilitary organization SOLDIER, the military wing of the megacorporation Shinra, that story was in fact that of Zack, with Cloud being his friend and a regular soldier.
Zack Fair ( ザックス・フェア, Zakkusu Fea) is a fictional character in the Final Fantasy role-playing video game series by Square Enix (originally Square), first introduced as a non-player character in Final Fantasy VII (1997). Kenichi Suzumura ( Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts series).