After the game was trapped on the PSP, Crisis Core Final Fantasy 7 Reunion brings back Zack Fair's prequel. The game tells the story of the friendship between Zack and Cloud, which serves as an important piece to the original Final Fantasy 7's puzzling narrative. Playing as Zack in a new, more accessible remaster of the PSP title is great for both diehard fans and newer fans that got into the series with FF7 Remake.
However, with Crisis Core Final Fantasy 7 Reunion showcasing just why Cloud looked up to Zack, and what the late SOLDIER was actually like before he was gunned down by Shinra, some fans may feel like Zack seems familiar. This is because Zack Fair shares a rather similar personality to another popular video game character - Sonic the Hedgehog.
Sonic the Hedgehog and Zack Fair: Kindhearted Action Junkies
Sonic the Hedgehog is known for loving adventure, and Zack Fair's story begins with him being constantly told to take his job seriously. The two of them typically see battles as something fun, saying things like "it's showtime" before dealing some damage. Zack and Sonic tend look at what's presented to them as fun challenges no matter what the situation is, which can be seen with how CCFF7 Reunion and Sonic Adventure 2 start the same way - with their respective hero jumping out of a helicopter with a big, confident grin.
Both of these characters are known as and call themselves heroes, and neither of them can turn a blind eye to someone in need. Crisis Core's main theme is how being heroic isn't always easy, and this is a topic that the latest Sonic game, Sonic Frontiers, tackles as well. Both Zack and Sonic, if not found on some sort of adventure or mission as a SOLDIER operative, will usually be found helping someone in trouble. This doesn't change, even as the going gets tough.
Sonic, Zack, and Their Journeys as Heroes
Zack is likened to a naive little puppy due to the fact that he chases the unattainable dream of becoming a hero through something so corrupted as the Shinra Electric Power Company, and the truth of the company comes to light throughout the story in Crisis Core. As Zack realizes things aren't as simple as "cut loose" against bad guys and save the day, he loses his innocence and is almost forced to grow up against it all.
However, even after everything, he's still enthusiastically taking on battles with a smile on his face. This is yet another big similarity Zack shares with Sonic, as the blue hedgehog has also been known to never give up or lose sight of himself. Sonic Frontiers even emphasizes this fact as a driving point of the game's story is that even as Sonic's slowly falling apart, he still pushes through with a grin.
On top of it, the two tend to get called out for their short attention spans, use humor to deal with difficult situations at times, and both of them even been framed by Shinra and G.U.N who are also rather similar. Sonic and Zack both have yellow-haired best friends in Cloud Strife and Miles "Tails" Prower as well. While Zack may not seem as tenacious as Sonic, seeing as he's gunned down at the end of Crisis Core, the end of FF7 Remake shows that he may be more stubborn to take down than some might think as he survives the attack in an alternate timeline.
While the similarities may be a rather interesting coincidence, this may help explain something in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. In World of Light, both Sonic and Cloud can be found in the Sacred Lands area. Sonic fights approaching players on the steps leading up to the Master Sword's shrine, almost protecting Cloud in the same way that Zack used to. There's a chance that if World of Light was given cutscenes like Subspace Emissary, it might have showcased a bond of some sort between the hedgehog and the mercenary, which might have dealt with how Cloud sees his dear friend in Sonic.
Crisis Core Final Fantasy 7 Reunion is out now for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
