Sephiroth concludes that Angeal has left with his long-time friend, but Zack refuses to believe his mentor would desert Shinra. The unknown soldiers' bodies are copies of Genesis, the missing SOLDIER member. Zack battles Ifrit and nearly falls to its counterattack, but Sephiroth saves him by defeating it with a single blow. When he returns he discovers Angeal has gone missing. Angeal stays behind to deal with them while Zack escorts Lazard to safety. While heading back to meet with Lazard, several unknown soldiers attack the two. After an encounter with a nine-year-old Yuffie Kisaragi, Zack enters a room and is attacked by two anti-SOLDIER monsters, which he defeats, but one of them launches a counterattack. They make their way to Fort Tamblin and Zack takes out the enemy forces single-handedly. On the way, Angeal asks Zack if he knows about "dumbapples" and explains the origin of the Banora White apples and how he was poor growing up yet friends with the adopted son of the richest family in town: Genesis. Zack battles Wutai troops in Fort Tamblin.Īngeal and Zack arrive in Wutai and journey to Fort Tamblin. He becomes ecstatic over Angeal having recommended him for promotion, and receives interesting news during the briefing: First Class SOLDIER Genesis Rhapsodos has deserted Shinra, taking an untold number of Second and Third Class soldiers with him. Angeal ends the training and saves him.ĭespite the debacle Angeal recommends Zack be promoted to First Class and Zack is deployed to Wutai to prove his skill. Zack completes the mission, but while caught off-guard by the victory, he is easily defeated by a virtual Sephiroth. In Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-, Zack undergoes a digital training session in the Virtual Reality System with his mentor. Zack fighting a virtual form of Sephiroth. He has also displayed some handyman skill by building Aerith a flower cart and can operate a motorbike. Calling himself a "country boy", traversing a snowy mountainside will not slow him down compared to his more inexperienced companions. Outside the realm of battle, Zack is great at performing squats and has the potential to set a record for this within Shinra. While preferring melee combat, Zack is competent with magic, and is handy with a sniper rifle. With Digital Mind Wave as his Limit Break, Zack can copy skills upon seeing others use them. In his last stand, Zack fights an army of Shinra infantrymen alone.
A true testament to Zack's fighting prowess is how he fought all three of the most powerful SOLDIER members, defeating Angeal and Genesis, and being a challenge to Sephiroth despite ultimately losing. He is chosen to represent SOLDIER in the competition against the Security Department, and entrusted with crucial support missions with the other Shinra departments, acknowledged even by the arrogant and immoral Hojo as a worthy SOLDIER member to test his experiments on. He is considered a cut above most Second Class SOLDIER members and secures a promotion to First Class. Having been trained by Angeal, one of the three most powerful SOLDIER members, Zack is an exceptional combatant, accomplished in both swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat. Whereas Genesis looks into outside sources to affirm his role as the hero- LOVELESS and becoming stronger and more revered in the public eye than Sephiroth-Zack instead follows his internal moral compass. Whereas Genesis believes himself entitled to the moniker and strives to achieve it by proving himself superior to others, Zack views becoming a hero as a personal achievement and the only person he strives to surpass is his own past self.
Zack's personality juxtaposes with Genesis's in their respective quests of "becoming a hero". 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. He now has a silver stud earring in his left ear. His spiky hair grows out and becomes wilder with a single lock of hair hanging down in front of his face. He starts with spiky black hair with several bangs framing his face and wears a dark blue SOLDIER uniform (even if most 2nd Class members wear red and magenta), gloves, boots, and is equipped with a standard SOLDIER sword.Īfter being promoted he wears a black 1st Class SOLDIER uniform, and gains the Buster Sword as well as an X-shaped scar on his cheek. Zack's appearance changes during Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII. Zack is tall, well-built, and has the iconic sky-blue " mako eyes" common to SOLDIER members.