Zack Fair is a recurring character in the Final Fantasy VII series. He is the main protagonist of Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-, which expands on his backstory after being introduced in Final Fantasy VII through a few flashback sequences as a non-player character. He also appears in other entries as a supporting character, including Last Order -Final Fantasy VII-, Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Final Fantasy VII Remake, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
Zack was a member of SOLDIER, the elite military division of the influential Shinra Electric Power Company. He was from the countryside, a village called Gongaga, and was determined to become a hero. Under the mentorship of Angeal Hewley, Zack made SOLDIER First Class and eventually inherited his Buster Sword, becoming one the company's most dependable elites alongside Sephiroth. After a series of crises stemming from the Shinra Electric Power Company's SOLDIER program, Zack eventually passed on the Buster Sword to one of his best friends and comrades, Cloud Strife. Despite the conflict around him, Zack remained steadfast and upbeat, drawing from his own moral compass, and committed to being there for his girlfriend, Aerith Gainsborough.
In Crisis Core, Zack is capable of using a wide variety of materia, which grant him attacks. Introduced in the game, new attacks can be unlocked by mixing materia using the Materia Fusion mechanic. Zack is also capable of wielding special abilities from the Digital Mind Wave, in which, depending on slot reels, he can wield attacks from a summon or a close ally against his foes.