Zack Fair’s importance in the Final Fantasy 7 universe is crucial, and pre-release material showed him returning in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. But we’re here to see if Zack is truly alive and ready to attack.
In the original Final Fantasy 7, Zack Fair is a minor character who adds more weight, substance, and emotional punch to Cloud Strife’s backstory. As we learned with Crisis Core, though, there’s a lot more to the black, spiky-haired SOLDIER than meets the eye.
Zack is very popular thanks to his actions in Crisis Core, and with Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth ripping up the rulebook and venturing outside of the box, it’s Zack Fair to assume people want to know what happens to the hero.
Spoilers ahead, be prepared.
Is Zack Fair alive in FF7 Rebirth? (Spoiler warning)
After finishing Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, I can confirm Zack Fair is alive, and this timeline of events portrayed in Rebirth indicates he survived the dramatic showdown in Crisis Core: Reunion.
If you don’t know, Zack heroically goes down in a blaze of glory fighting Shinra soldiers at the end of Crisis Core—the brave hero succumbing to his wounds and dying. But almost immediately in FF7 Rebirth, Zack is on the scene and helping Cloud and Aerith to safety following the ending of Final Fantasy 7 Remake‘s highway to hell.
Throughout Rebirth, we learn multiple worlds are playing out at the same time, and by Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth‘s ending, the parallel worlds are intertwining and overlapping into one another. So, it’s perfectly logical for a world where Zack survives and can temporarily mesh into our existing world with Cloud and the gang—before returning to the status quo.
I expect Final Fantasy Remake Part Three will give us the finality and answers we’re all seeking.
Can you play as Zack Fair in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth?
You can play as Zack Fair in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
It’s only brief, but you can get hands-on with Zack during the game’s prologue as he rescues Cloud and Aerith, fighting off more enemies. You can also control Zack at the end of the game as he fights alongside Cloud against Sephiroth Reborn, as well as against Sephiroth himself.
Who knows, there’s every chance we might get even more screen time with Zack in the third and final title or possibly as Rebirth DLC.
Many other aspects of FF7 Rebirth can leave you scratching your head, such as what the max level is, how to defeat Midgardsormr, and how to get and use Moogle Medals.