Weapon: Buster Sword A large sword originally crafted for Angeal by his parents as a gift for getting accepted into SOLDIER and inherited by Zack from a dying Angeal. The handle of the sword is red while right above it is a gold band. The sword itself is rather large, styled similar to a Zanbato however, is not as heavy as Zack has been seen to wield the weapon with one hand. This could, naturally of course be attributed to his SOLDIER enhancements as well.
Abilities: Digital Mind Wave(DMW): Digital Mind Wave(DMW)-SOLDIER members are taught to call on past experiences to help make themselves stronger. Heightened emotions an affect the DMW as it is linked to Zacks mind. When feeling heightened emotions towards a memory of Angeal, Sephiroth, Aerith, Cissnei, Tseng or Genesis, Zack is able to call upon their limit breaks.
DMW Abilities:
Chain Slash: Zack's standard limit break. When he uses this attack, he leaps towards his opponent, striking his foe with six powerful slashes. Only strikes one foe if used in a group. Cooldown 2 posts.
Octaslash: When experiencing heightened emotion regarding Sephiroth, the DMW triggers a memory of his Octaslash, allowing Zack to perform this very quick and powerful 8 slash attack. Cooldown 3 posts
Rush Assault:When experiencing a strong memory or emotion about Angeal in battle, Zack is able to use this powerful 15 strike attack. It is performed by striking a single opponent seven times with a flurry of punches and kicks for 7 strikes before diving on top of them for the 8th. The final 7 strikes are another kick/punch combo. Can be divided up between multiple opponents.
cooldown 4 posts
Healing Wave: Triggered when experiencing powerful emotion or memories of Aerith. Zack thrusts his sword into the ground before mimicking Aeriths prayer stance. His body then becomes encompassed in a protective barrier(to protect him from harm while he heals) before emanating a green aura, fully restoring his health and energy entirely and fully healing all wounds.
cooldown 5 posts.
Lucky Stars: Triggered by a strong emotion or memory of Cissnei. Star shaped energy surrounds his body before entering him, increasing his strength for 2 posts.
cooldown 3 posts.
Meteor Shots: When experiencing powerful memories or emotions toward Cloud in combat Zack may use this attack. Similar to Clouds Meteorain, Zack leaps into the air, swinging his sword downward as 6 meteors rain down upon the battle field.
cooldown 3 posts
Air Strike: Performed by feeling a stron emotion towards or a powerful memory of Tseng. Zack makes a call to tseng for an air strike, who will then send in a helicopter that launches four missiles towards the enemy.
Cooldown 4 posts.
Apocalypse: When faced with strong emotion or a powerful memory of Genesis, Zack may call on this limit break. His body rises into the air as runes with the lost chapter of LOVELESS appear beneath him. Green energy forms in his hand as he raises it into the air, unleashing several bolts of energy upon his foes.
Cooldown 4 Posts
Hand to Hand Combat: Having been trained by Angeal and due to SOLDIER training, Zack is quite skilled in hand to hand combat.
SOLDIER Enhancements: Zack's strength, endurance, and speed have all been enhanced to above human, but not quite Superhuman thanks to the Mako infusion surgery all SOLDIER candidates endure. He has a slightly higher pain tolerance and can withstand more than the average human. However, he still has the same weaknesses and can be killed in the same ways normal humans can.
Materia
Green(Magic)MateriaHell Firaga: Extremely powerful and very dangerous materia crafted via Materia Fusion. Zack launches three fireballs at his opponent that are capable of inflicting Poison, Silence, and Stop upon his foes if inflicted. The fireballs, unlike a normal Firaga hone in on the target they are directed out..however can be blocked by debris or obstacles.
The duration for the affects are as follows:
Poison: Weakens the foe for 2 turns
Silence: Prevents use of magic attacks for 1 turn.
Stop: Stops opponents from performing any action for the post they are struck by this spell.
(Note: While I prefer at least poison to affect upon impact, it is up to those taking the hit to choose between Stop or Silence)
Cooldown: 4 posts
Curaga: The highest tier in the Cure spell tree. This ability will heal a majority of his or an allies wounds. Cooldown 3 posts.
Tri-Thundaga: Very powerful materia in its own right. Lightning bolts fire in three arcs towards a foe, dealing heavy Thunder damage to a single enemy. Can be divided up against no more than three foes..in which case each single bolt is the equivalent of getting hit by your standard Thundaga spell.
Cooldown: 4 posts
Yellow(Support) MateriaJump: Simply what it says. Zack's standard jump is enhanced with this materia attached. His odds of dodging an enemies attack are increased as long as it is physical or not raining down from the sky or large in size if magic or a summon. During his descent back to the ground, Zack slashes with his sword, knocking any unfortunate soul to the ground should they happen to be within blade's reach of his landing.
cooldown: 2 posts
Firaga Blade: Created as materia to be imbued into a weapon. When Zack uses a bladed weapon imbued with this materia, the weapon imbued with this materia deals heavy fire damage.
Cooldown: 3 posts
Exploder Blade: When this materia is triggered, Zack swings with his weapon, triggering a powerful shockwave upon impact. Shockwave will still trigger if this materia has been triggered and his sword gets blocked, knocking the opponent back.
Cooldown: 2 posts
Personality: So, you wanna know a little bit about Zack huh? For starters, he is very VERY energetic. Forcing him to sit still is like trying to teach a cat how to bark. You just can't do it. When really excited about something..or even just bored he will start doing squat thrusts. He'll even compete with the other SOLDIER's and common guards by doing squat thrust competitions with them. However, excitement tends to interfere with his focus, which causes him to be reckless from time to time, thus earning him the nickname Zack The Puppy from Angeal.
Despite being energetic, he has a strong attitude and is ready for action at a moments notice. He highly respects and looks up to Angeal, who's words of dreams and honor had a great impact on him. He has a very caring and friendly personality, easily capable and often does make at least one new friend everywhere he goes. Zack also considers himself to be a ladies man, and flirts with a lot of women he meets. He'll occasionally ask the really beautiful ones out on one date. But above all else? Zack is protective of his friends and will do whatever it takes to defend them, even if it costs him his life.
History: Early Life:So, you wanna know where someone like Zack's story starts do ya? Zack was born in the small quiet town of Gongaga to Mr. and Mrs. Fair. All throughout his childhood he admired Sephiroth, often dreaming about joining SOLDIER and becoming a 1st Class just like his childhood hero. When he was thirteen, he ran away from home and joined Shinra's military force without uttering so much as a word to his parents. By October 0000, under the guidance and tutelage of Angeal Hewly, Zack had risen to the rank of SOLDIER 2nd Class. Angeal's influence on Zack was so strong that Zack himself wanted to be just like the man that had taken him under his wing. He was friends with another 2nd by the name of Kunzel and worked under Director Lazard.
War Against Genesis:We first meet Zack as a 2nd Class doing a training mission in Shinra's Digital Training Simulator under Angeal's watch and guidance. Zack does extremely well in the simulation and in fact thinks he is done when the simulator gives him a surprise of its own, in the form of a holographic Sephiroth. Zack squares off against the hologram, and just when he is about to be defeated Angeal steps in and saves Zack before ending the simulation. Despite this small flaw, Angeal still requests Zack's promotion to 1st to Director Lazard. This request was made in front of a very ecstatic Zack who lost his bearing for a moment before recovering in front of the director.
To test his abilities, Director Lazard sent Zack on a mission to Wutai, along with giving him some rather interesting news during his briefing about the mission. It appeared that SOLDIER 1st Class Genesis Rhapsodos had deserted, taking a handful of 2nd and 3rd Classes with him. Zack's mission brings him and Angeal to Fort Tamblin, where while on the way Angeal tells Zack the tale of the dumbapple or Banora White. This story gives Zack some insight into Angeal's past, learning that his mentor was in fact extremely poor while growing up, yet was friends with the richest mans son. Within seconds of them reaching Tamblin's perimeter wall, a bomb goes off signifying the start of the mission. Zack leaps into action, taking out any that try to stop him singelhandedly.
Zack then meets a nine year old Yuffie right outside of the point he was told to reach. Once inside he is faced with two Anti-SOLDIER monsters and is nearly defeated until Angeal comes to his rescue right in the nick of time. En route back to the point they are to meet Lazard, a group of soldiers attack the duo. Angeal stays behind to deal with the soldiers while Zack gets Director Lazard to safety before rushing back to help Angeal with the soldiers. However he is stopped by Ifrit who then fights Zack. However Sephiroth appears next, defeating the summon in a single strike.
As it turns out, the bodies of the soldiers that had attacked were copies of the missing SOLDIER 1st Class himself, Genesis. To make matters worse, Angeal is missing which in turn causes Sephiroth to assume that Angeal had defected along with his friend, regardless of how much Zack refused to admit the possibility. Zack firmly believed that Angeal was loyal to Shinra and would never desert SOLDIER or the company. Zack wouldn't have long to contemplate this however, as Director Lazard already had another mission in mind. He would be heading to Angeal and Genesis's hometown of Banora Village. This mission however, included a suprise alliance between Shinra's two most feared forces.
Zack, upon reaching Banora Village found himself teamed up with none other than Tseng of the Turks. The two almost immediately begin investigating the area where they stumble upon the graves belonging to none other than Genesis's parents. Zack then decides to investigate the town, only finding one person occupying it. That person was none other than Angeal's mother Gillian Hewley who immediately asked Zack if he knew where Angeal was. Unfortunately Zack wasn't able to help her and left, finding an alternate route to a factory which leads to a rendezvous with Genesis. Genesis immediately began taunting Zack and had injured Tseng. Before Zack could act, Angeal appeared to save him however he was soon pushed away from his mentor. Tseng then warns Zack of the impending air strike on Banora, causing Zack to rush to save Gillian only to find her dead on the floor, with Angeal standing over her. Zack, thinking Angeal killed his own mother immediately questions Angeal's honor and starts to punch him, only to be tripped by Genesis who then summons Bahamut to by Angeal time to escape. Upon defeating Bahamut and watching Genesis fly away after sprouting a black wing, Zack watches the bombing of Banora from a departing Shinra Helicon.
Six months later, in April of 0001 Zack gets officially promoted to 1st Class by Director Lazard. However, Zack isn't as happy as he thought he'd be about finally accomplishing his dream. He isn't given time to contemplate this however, as Genesis and his army of clones have started attacking the city. True to his SOLDIER duties as well as his honor, he aids in driving back Genesis's forces and ends up saving a Turk named Cissnei in the process. He then runs into Sephiroth who requests Zack come with him.
Sephiroth leads Zack to the Sector 5 reactor in search of a rogue doctor by the name of Hollander who is believed to be one of Genesis's accomplices. They eventually find Hollander in the reactor, who runs causing Zack to give chase...that is until they run into none other than Angeal. Angeal, much to Zack's shock says he has dreams of revenge and is bent on world domination. Angeal then states he is a monster and sprouts his wing before using magic to knock Zack back and destroy the very pillar beneath them. Which as we all know when you lose what your ground, you fall. Which is exactly what happened to Zack as he began his descent into the Sector 5 Slums.
Now, this is where that funny thing called fate kicks in in Zack's life. He had fallen unconscious from his fall into Sector 5, and was woken up by a strangers voice. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was someone he unknowingly would become extremely close to from here on out. The person who's face he saw, happened to be that of none other than Aerith Gainsborough herself. For her help in ensuring his well being, Zack offers her one date. Before they leave however, Zack takes notice of the flowers Aerith has been growing inside of the abandoned church and suggests she sells them, what with flowers being extremely rare in Midgar.
However, before the date could happen while Zack and Aerith are walking into town, a child bumps into Zack and steals his wallet. Upon catching the child, Zack and Aerith learn the only reason that Zack's wallet got stolen was because monsters had eaten the boy's wallet. After some convincing not to tell the kid off anyway from Aerith, Zack agrees to retrieve the child's wallet and soon returns, getting his back and resuming his date with Aerith. Noticing Aerith admiring the ribbons at a nearby vendor, Zack himself buys her her signature pink ribbon that she wears from then on. Their date ends up getting cut short, as Zack is called back to the plate to deal with another assault from Genesis. While travelling back, Zack bumps into Angeal who states they need to work together, and after Zack agrees gives him a lift. Angeal then deals with Genesis while Zack fights an upgraded Bahamut named Bahamut Fury. After his victory, Zack notices both Angeal and Genesis are gone.
Modeoheim TragediesNot long after the attacks on Midgar, Zack is sent on a mission along with a handful of Shinra troops(one of them being a sixteen year old Cloud Strife himself) and Tseng to Modeoheim. Their helicopter gets shot down while en route by Genesis's forces, forcing them to hoof it in the snow the rest of the way. Noticing that Cloud can keep up with him while Tseng and the others are way behind, Zack makes a comment about it and learns that he and Zack are both "country boys" and because friends right then and there. From there on out, Cloud would accompany Zack on several of his missions, looking up to him as Zack once looked up to Angeal. However upon spotting a Mako Excavation Site crawling with troops, Zack parts ways from Tseng and the troops, infiltrating the facility while Tseng takes the others to Modeoheim.
Inside the facility, Zack discovers Doctor Hollander and Genesis arguing, prompting him to deal with Genesis himself while Hollander flees. Zack and a degrading Genesis fight, with Zack emerging the victor while Genesis falls into the nearby reactor, causing Zack to assume the worst possible scenario being Genesis's death. However he has no time to officially confirm anything, as he takes off after Hollander, only to bump into him and Angeal in the bath house. Here Zack learns that Hollander is in fact Angeal's father, who used Gillian Hewley in an experiment called Project G. Here Zack learns that Angeal did not in fact kill his mother, but that she had committed suicide.
Throughout the conversation, Hollander kept describing Angeal as the "perfect soldier." Angeal however, renounced that title and called himself the perfect monster upon accepting just how monstrous an experiment like Project G truly was. He then fuses with several Angeal copies, transforming him into Angeal Penance. Zack and Angeal Penance go at it then, with Zack having no other choice but to fight. Zack emerges the victor, however he gets a wound that will leave a scar on his left cheek as a souvenir of the fight. Angeal is barely alive after this fight, and uses the last of the strength to pass on the Buster Sword, telling Zack that in order to be a true member of SOLDIER, he needs to remember his dreams as well as his honor.
Like us all when we lose someone close, Zack was struck with grief and sadness as well as the pain of loss due to Angeal's death. However, some comfort was found in Aerith's arms. Due to trusting Aerith with his pain, their relationship strengthened. Now, with Angeal gone...Zack succeeded his mentor and friend's role as the emotional heart of the SOLDIER organization. Like Angeal, Zack found he himself was capable of inspiring the Shinra troops under his command...such as Cloud Strife himself or a new friend by the name of Luxiere..both of which would grow to look up to Zack.
Before Crisis EventA group of insurgents had appeared in Midgar, going by the name of AVALANCHE. On January 16, 002 almost a year after Angeal's death Zack is sent, along with a Turk and two SOLDIERS by the names of Sebastian and Essai to deal with the matter. AVALANCHE ends up kidnapping the latter and turning them into Ravens. Ravens are a type of genetically altered super soldier designed to guard a man named Fuhito(who wouldn't you know is a scientist who idolizes Hojo of all people). Zack fights a Raven named Kyneugh and emerges victorious and even tries to save his fellow SOLDIER's however he ends up having to defeat them as well. He buries their bodies himself in graves marked with each of their swords crossing.
Post Before Crisis Event/Back to Crisis Core timelineBy early summer of 0002, Zack is forced to take a vacation in Costa Del Sol to relax. He eventually learns Cissnei was sent to ensure he rested..however that rest was soon interrupted. Genesis copies had begun to attack the beach. However the clones are just the first part of the problem. Director Lazard is found out to have been the secret traitor within Shinra the entire time and breaks Dr. Hollander from his imprisonment in Junon. In order to deal with this new threat(who had taken a handful of Shinra machines and troops), Zack is sent to Junon, along with several Turks and Shinra troops. All seems to go well..that is until Hollander escapes via the help of the Genesis clones. However, Sephiroth who had arrived late to the party, forgives Zack and gives him permission to take leave to see Aerith.
Upon returning to Midgar, Zack learns that the city itself had been under attack from armies of monsters..which according to Kunzel were likely set free from Prof. Hojo's lab. One monster in particular..which happened to be an Angeal copy made its way to Aerith's church and protected her from harm until Zack arrived on scene. It is believed that this monster was either the last living piece of Angeal's will, or was being controlled by Angeal via the Lifestream. After all is calm, Zack helps Aerith build a wagon so she can start selling her flowers...however he gets called away not long after starting to help her sell for another mission. Entrusting her care to Tseng, Zack leaves for Nibelheim...not knowing that that would be the last time he would ever see Aerith until his death.
The Nibelheim IncidentZack, along with Sephiroth and Cloud(who was hiding his face so Tifa wouldn't recognize him)make their way to Nibelheim on September 22, 0002. Sephiroth allows them one day to rest and allows those from Nibelheim to visit their friends and family. The next day, right before they start the trek to Mt. Nibel...a local snaps a picture of Zack, Tifa, and Sephiroth together. They soon make their way to Mt. Nibel with Tifa acting as guide and fix the malfunctioning reactor, however something strange is concealed within the reactor. Zack and Sephiroth discover pods filled with Makonoids or monsters that were once human before becoming exposed to large quantities of mako. However, they also find a creature named Jenova whom Sephiroth was told was his mother(when in all reality his mother is Lucrecia Crescent). The discovery...along with a few taunting words from Genesis regarding the Jenova project cause Sephiroth to snap.
For seven days, Zack tried to get Sephiroth to leave the basement of the Shinra mansion. However each time he tried, Sephiroth's response would be the same. He'd be studying a folder and tell Zack to leave him alone. On October 1st, 0002 Sephiroth truly goes insane and burns Nibelheim to the ground and slaughters most of the townsfolk. Seeing the flames and the slaughtered bodies sends Zack into a rage, making him chase after Sephiroth along with an enraged Tifa up the mountain to the Mt. Nibel reactor. Tifa is easily cut down by Sephiroth and grows frightened when Zack attempts to help her. With her refusal for help, Zack rushes into the reactor to see Sephiroth standing outside Jenova's containment pod. The two battle, and Zack manages to hold the One Winged Angel off for some time..but is soon defeated. But all hope isn't lost. Cloud, in a fit of rage at the death of his mother and Tifa being injured, takes up the Buster Sword for the first time and strikes Sephiroth down. Tifa is then taken in by Zangan who would later train her while Cloud and Zack are captured by Shinra forces to be used in Professor Hojo's experiments based on the Jenova Reunion Theory..which basically is a theory that Jenova's cells would all regroup to become one again. In order to test this theory, Zack, Cloud, and the survivors of the slaughter at Nibelheim are injected with Jenova Cells as well as exposes them to Mako.
The Final Battle Against GenesisFour years had passed since the Nibelheim incident. Four years of being held captive and subjected to Hojo's twisted experiments. Zack and Cloud had been labelled as failed experiements. On December 19, 0006 Zack has hallucinations about Angeal appearing in the mansions basement..which aid in his will to be free giving him the strength to break free. Zack sees Cloud in an adjacent tube and frees him, finding him some fresh...yet smelly clothes to change into despite his comatose state. Unbeknownst to them both, they have both become Sephiroth clones. Zack is left unaffected by the experiments due to being in SOLDIER..however Cloud suffers from Mako poisoning...which is the cause of his comatose state.
Zack fights his way through Nibelheim(whose inhabitants had been replaced by Shinra employees and the town rebuilt to cover up the mess), dragging Cloud with him. However they soon run into Cissnei who is on orders to bring them in. Despite her orders though, Cissnei cuts them a break one time and makes a call to her superior which buys Zack the time he needs to get Cloud out of the area. The two hide from Shinra forces while enroute to Midgar until early autumn of 0007. Things were still far from returning to normal though.
Upon returning to Midgar, they are attacked by a group of degrading Genesis clones. The clones attempt to eat a sample of Zack's hair because it contains S cells due to him being a Sephiroth clone. However the cells had already adapted to Zack's body instead of healing the degradation process, turns the clone into a monster. Upon defeating the creature, Zack takes Cloud to Gongaga in hopes of hiding out when he bumps into Genesis and a degrading Genesis clone that was once Hollander himself. Both want Cloud for his S cells seeing as Zack's are useless due to his being in SOLDIER. Director Lazard in the form of a degrading Angeal joins in on the frey, aiding Zack in protecting Cloud from the two. In this fight, Zack finally ends Hollanders threat once and for all by killing him.
Not long after that battle, Zack realizes he's had a clue to where Genesis was operating from the entire time. That clue being the dumbapples Genesis always carried on him. Leaving Cloud in Lazard's care prior to heading to Banora, Zack heads deep into the caverns and confronts Genesis in one last battle. Genesis wields the power of the Lifestream, yet learns the hard way that no matter how much power you wield..you can still be beaten. Zack then takes the defeated Genesis up to the surface and takes his first bite of a Banora White(in turn fulfilling Genesis's childhood dream of seeing someone eat one) along with Cloud, a now dead Lazard, and the last Angeal copy. The Angeal copy dies, leaving behind the 89th and final letter from Aerith it had been holding.
Zack's Last StandZack now desperate to get to Aerith after learning four years had passed from her letter, snatches up Cloud and hurriedly tries to get her. Towards the end of September 0007, as they reach Midgar Zack and Cloud are ambushed by an army of Shinra troops. Zack...hides Cloud behind a rock, not knowing Cissnei and Tseng were trying to get there before the army did. Taking the Buster Sword in hand, Zack charges the army head on, accepting his fate with the memories of all he holds close flashing before his eyes as he is gunned down...going out fighting in the very end. With his DMW broken, Zack is clinging to his final thread of life when Cloud awakens. Using the last of his strength, Zack passes the Buster Sword on to Cloud like Angeal had to him years prior, telling him he will be his living legacy and to carry out his dreams. As Cloud leaves and Zack dies, he looks up at the sky remembering how Aerith was afraid of it and sees Angeal appearing before him, hand outstretched. However...even in death, Zack would be there for Cloud if he needed him...appearing to him to give words of encouragement during the events of Advent Children.
