So you’re new to the world of FF7 and have just reached the end of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and you’ve no idea what any of those final cutscenes mean. Specifically, you’re probably wondering who that Zack guy is, with Cloud’s Buster Sword. Here’s what you need to know about Zack in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, but do be warned that this article contains major spoilers for future events in the story, as well as the ending of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7.
Spoiler warning: As alluded to in the title, this article will contain mega spoilers about both Final Fantasy 7 Remake and the original game and other games within the FF7 universe. Turn away if you don’t want to be spoiled.
Who Zack Is in Final Fantasy 7 Remake (Spoilers)
As you reach chapter 18 in the game, you’ll be treated to a few scenes of another SOLDIER member with black hair, carrying the Buster Sword. You’ll only know that his name is Zack, with no other indication of who he really is, or what he has to do with the story at hand.
To cut right to the chase, Zack was actually the boyfriend that Aerith had alluded to back when she was chatting with Cloud at the deserted playground. Aerith reveals that Zack was the first guy she loved, though she never says much more than that.
The final scenes of Zack at the end of Final Fantasy 7 Remake were from the ending events of Crisis Core, a game which took place before FF7 itself. In this game, Zack was a SOLDIER First Class member, who befriended Cloud when he was still a SOLDIER cadet. At the end of Crisis Core, the two were desperately trying to get back to Midgar after being branded as traitors by Shinra.
At this point, Cloud had fallen prey to a bad case of mako poisoning, leaving Zack to defend him all the way back to Midgar. As the pair gets close to the city, they’re ambushed by Shinra soldiers, and Zack manages to fend them off, but his injuries become too grave for him to actually survive. Right before he dies, he hands his Buster Sword (a gift from Zack’s own mentor to him) to Cloud, asking him to carry on his legacy.
Cloud then makes his way back to Midgar with the Buster Sword in hand. However, because of the severity of the mako poisoning, Cloud ends up losing most of his memories of the events of Crisis Core, and of Zack himself. Cloud then continues to live under the delusion that he was actually SOLDIER First Class, and ended up absorbing Zack’s memories as part of his own, which is why he suffers from mako headaches and flashbacks all throughout the events of Final Fantasy 7 Remake.
At the end of Remake, however, we specifically see Zack continuing to drag Cloud back to Midgar, and we never actually see him die. It’s possible that we’ll only learn of his death in the follow-up to Remake, or his fate might be changed entirely.
For now, though, that’s pretty much all you need to know about who Zack really is in Final Fantasy 7 Remake and the role he plays in the story. Be sure to search for Twinfinite or check our guide wiki for more tips and information on the game.
