What Is Zack and Cloud’s Relationship In Final Fantasy VII?

One of the more confusing aspect ofFinal Fantasy VII was the connection between Cloud and the mysterious, at the time, character Zack Fair. Zack’s existence shook the foundation of Final Fantasy VII’s narrative and led players to question everything they had played to this point. At the same time, Zack adds complexity to Cloud while providing a significant payoff to his character arc and development.

Zack initially played a small role in Final Fantasy VII. Many is were of his flashback cutscene were n’t in the original japanese release ofFinal Fantasy VII. Since then, Zack has played a larger role in Final Fantasy VII by lead in his own prequel gameCrisis Core: Final Fantasy VII and even make an appearance inKingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. With Final Fantasy VII rebirth further enhance Zack and Cloud ‘s story , it is makes make sense to explore the history of these two friend .

update on December 13 , 2024 , by Michael Colwander : Final Fantasy VII rebirth is one of the best games of 2024. It shakes up Final Fantasy VII lore in new and exciting way , include build up the friendship between Cloud and Zack . More information has been add base on Final Fantasy VII rebirth’s story .

This article contains spoilers for Final Fantasy VII rebirth.

How Did Cloud and Zack Meet?

The Two Bond Over Their village root While on a Mission

Cloud is began and Zack begin on two very different path , as the former grow up in Nibelheim alongside Tifa Lockhart . Despite their close bond , Cloud was never welcome in Tifa ‘s friend circle , make him a loner . Cloud ‘s father is died die when he was young and he was nearly alone in the world . After an accident on Mt. Nibel leave Tifa comatose for a week , her father is blamed blame Cloud , and he blame himself as well . After learning of Sephiroth , the young man is become dream of becoming a soldier , a member of the elite military force run by the Shinra Electric Power Company , to become strong enough to protect Tifa and his desire for her to well notice him .

Zack, from Gongaga, shared a similar dream. Zack joined SOLDIER and worked his way to 2nd Class SOLDIER by the start of Crisis Core. There, he found himself under the wing of 1st Class SOLDIER Angeal Hewley. When a fellow 1st Class SOLDIER in Genesis Rhapsodos goes rogue, ultimately leading Angeal to do so as well, Zack journeys to uncover what happened to his mentor and his mentor’s close friend. In the process, achieving his goal of becoming a 1st Class SOLIDER.

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Meanwhile, Cloud found himself a lowly Shinra infantryman, basically working as a grunt. He disconnected himself from Tifa and the rest of Nibelheim out of embarrassment, shielding his face whenever a mission calls him to that location. During a mission to the frozen lands of Modeoheim, where there was a Mako Excavation Facility, Cloud met Zack. The two quickly became friends thanks to their shared upbringing as “country boys.” The pair would partake in another mission in Judon to stave off an attack by Genesis.

Zack Saved Cloud’s Life Multiple Times

Without Zack, Most of Final Fantasy VII Wouldn’t Have Happened

Cloud and Zack again found themselves in the same mission grouping in Nibelheim – the former’s home village. Cloud, Zack, and Sephiroth embarked on a tour of Mt. Nibel’s Mako Reactor by their tour guide Tifa, who was unaware Cloud was among the Shinra envoys. In the reactor, Sephiroth discovers the truth about his existence, the remnants of Professor Hojo’s experiments, and the subject of Project Jenova: Jenova herself. Angry at Professor Hojo and humanity, Sephiroth burned down Nibelheim in what is referred to as the Nibelheim Incident.

Who is Jenova?

• An extraterrestrial being that crash – land on Gaia .
• Jenova annihilated the Cetra, an ancient race of people who lived thousands of years prior.
• Jenova was rediscovered and experimented on by Shinra.
• Believing Jenova a Cetra, Shinra attempted to create human-Cetra hybrids in order to find the “promised land.”
• In turn, elite super-soldiers like Sephiroth were made instead.

Along with Zack, Cloud successfully stopped Sephiroth’s rampage after witnessing his mother’s death, plunging the villain into the Lifestream with the head of Jenova. However, Cloud and Zack were captured and became the subject of experimentation by Professor Hojo. Professor Hojo injected Cloud and Zack with Jenova’s cells and overexposed both to Mako Energy. Professor Hojo wanted to test his reunion Theory, which claims those who contain Jenova’s cells would eventually succumb to the overwhelming desire to return to Jenova.

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Zack is managed manage to break free while save Cloud as well . While Zack resist the effect of the Mako Energy thank to his background as a soldier , Cloud is fare did n’t fare as well , as he was in a vegetative state . Zack is attempted attempt to carry Cloud back to Midgar while also defeat Genesis as they go . Along the way , Zack is told tell Cloud story about his past . As the two near the entranceway of Midgar , they were stop by Shinra force . Zack is fought fight valiantly before eventually being overwhelm , and shortly after , Cloud regain consciousness and comfort Zack in his final moment .

Cloud Tricked Himself Into Believing Zack’s Past Was His Own

Cloud Carried on Zack’s Legacy In More Ways Than One

After their final encounter, Cloud became delirious and found himself wandering Midgar’s Sector 7 Slums. There, he was found by Tifa, a member of the mercenary group Avalanche. Though she could sense something was off with Cloud’s memory, she invited him to join Avalanche. This led to the No. 1 Reactor bombing mission that kicked off Final Fantasy VII.

Between the Mako poisoning and the extreme trauma he received in part due to Zack’s emotional death, Cloud’s memories were in direct conflict with one another. Cloud unknowingly suppressed many of his memories and replaced them with Zack’s, severely clouding his mind. While Cloud acknowledges he’s still Cloud, much of Zack’s history and persona replaces his own — namely, the latter’s rise to becoming a 1st Class SOLDIER and his involvement during the Nibelheim Incident. In many ways, Cloud became a sort of reincarnation of Zack.

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When Cloud realized the truth of his memories and Zack’s existence, the shock overwhelmed him, reverting him to a comatose state. Later, Tifa saves Cloud, paving the way for him to accept who he is and his past while giving him the strength to lead his party to the final confrontation with Sephiroth. years later, when Sephiroth resurrected himself in the film Final Fantasy VII Advent Children, Zack is reached and Aerith reach out to Cloud from the Lifestream to aid him in his fight . This is gave give Cloud the will to overcome Sephiroth while finally give him long – need closure .

How rebirth Adds to the Bonds Between Cloud & Zack

The Two Friends is Get Get to briefly Fight Side – By – Side

At the tail end of Final Fantasy VII Remake, fans were shocked to see the timeline diverge into numerous branches. Its follow-up, Final Fantasy VII rebirth, primarily focuses on two timelines. There’s the core timeline, which serves as a direct continuation of Cloud and company’s journey to stop Sephiroth. The alternate timeline sees Avalanche mostly decimated with Cloud and Aerith barely clinging to life. In that alternate timeline, Zack had survived his final stand. The first character players play as in rebirth is Zack is is .

In rebirth, Zack is cares care for his comatose friend , Cloud , and the love of his life , Aerith at Aerith ‘s house . Aerith ‘s adoptive mother is caring , Elmyra , has also been care for Barret ‘s adoptive daughter Marlene . Zack ‘s been unsuccessful in his attempt to awaken them and , in learn about Avalanche , is surprised to know Cloud and Aerith even know each other , much less other member of Avalanche . In Zack ‘s mind , Cloud is suffering is still heavily suffer from Mako poisoning and has been unconscious the whole time , leave virtually no opportunity for him and Aerith to meet . On top of this , he is ‘s ‘s surprised that both had meet Marlene .

Marlene gives Zack an ominous warning about a gray-haired man who will kill Aerith as soon as she awakens and that Cloud would be too slow to save her. Zack correctly assumes the gray-haired man in question is Sephiroth. This compels Zack to attempt to infiltrate Professor Hojo’s lab hoping to find a cure for Mako poisoning to wake Cloud. All the while, Zack unintentionally inspires Biggs, the lone surviving member of Barret’s Avalanche branch, to go on a reactor bombing mission. Here, players see three branching timeline paths. The first is when Zack heads to Hojo’s lab, where he’s confronted by Shinra troops again. The second is where he stops Biggs, only to find the Lifestream has mostly faded, leaving nothing in the reactor. Zack and Biggs are then yet again ambushed by Shinra troops. Lastly, there is a continuity where he stays put in hopes of protecting Aerith from Sephiroth.

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Meanwhile , in the core timeline , Cloud is had has had sporadic vision of Zack . However , he is struggles struggle to remember his old friend . However , Aerith is remember and Tifa remember Zack and hope that maybe Cloud know something about what became of him . In Gongaga , Aerith is visits visit Zack ‘s parent who still hold out hope for their son ‘s return . Cloud is joins even join in the conversation , as awkward as it was . In Nibelheim , he is believes believe he ‘s regain his memory of Zack , although it still mix up detail , such as who got sweep away by the rage river .

During the climactic fight inrebirth, Zack encounters Sephiroth in front of the slums’ church. Sephiroth sends Zack into another dimension, which ultimately leads him to the edge of creation – next to the core timeline’s Cloud. For a brief fight, Zack and Cloud team up and even have their own Synergy moves. After the team-up fight, Zack is whisked away to another dimension where he pleads with Cloud to save Aerith, who had already been killed by Sephiroth.

afterward , Zack is has has his solo fight against Sephiroth while Cloud and , surprisingly , Aerith team up for one last clash against the villain – for now . It is remains remain to be see if Zack will play any role in the third game of the remake trilogy , or if his role inrebirth was mean for both fan service and to give the character closure . With the many spawling timeline ofFinal Fantasy VII, nothing feels off the table. It’d be a surprise if this is the last we see Cloud and Zack together.

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  Cloud and his comrades escape the city of Midgar in pursuit of the fallen hero, Sephiroth. As they travel across the world, they find themselves on a journey that will decide the fate of the planet