Very few titles in gaming history could hope to be met with the level of anticipation fans felt toward Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Upon its long-awaited release, Final Fantasy 7 Remake shocked fans by delivering a tale that covered very little of the original's narrative before creating an alternate timeline through its late-game events. In the title's Intergrade DLC, Zack Fair, whose death was an instrumental part of the game's preceding events, was revealed to be alive. Because of this, long-time fans are speculating about how Zack's presence in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will alter events. One of the biggest impacts could be tied to character relationships, as Rebirth's timeline potentially gives one power couple another chance.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will alter the original's history in a myriad of ways. Final Fantasy 7 Remake ended with its team of protagonists defeating the Whisper Harbinger, an entity that intervenes when individuals try to alter destiny's course. In doing so, they opened a new timeline in which they can avoid the cataclysmic events of the original title. One way in which their actions made an immediate impact was in the life and death of Zack Blair, Cloud Strife's best friend and the first love of co-protagonist Aerith Gainsborough.
Zack Fair's Impact on Cloud and Aerith
Zack Fair was a SOLDIER operative and Final Fantasy 7 protagonist Cloud Strife's best friend. During the final events of the title's prequel Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7, Zack dies saving a comatose Cloud from being used in a Shinra experiment. This event causes a delirious and mentally unstable Cloud to combine Zack's memories with his own, taking up Zack's Buster Sword and becoming the version players meet in Final Fantasy 7. It is this event that sets him on the path to meeting and falling in love with Aerith Gainsborough, whose own death is a major event in the original timeline.
Zack and Aerith's relationship is an immensely important part of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7, as well as Aerith's eventual relationship with Cloud. Zack and Aerith have a budding relationship, prior to Zack's being pulled back into being an operative for Shinra. Throughout the events of Crisis Core, Zack's emotional bond with Aerith keeps him going, and, during his final stand, his memories with Aerith are the center of his thoughts. His memories, combined with Cloud's, lead Cloud to form a deep connection with Aerith in the original Final Fantasy 7. However, in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, a seemingly omniscient Aerith addresses the nature of Cloud's attachment in a Chapter 14 Resolution Scene, telling him that his love for her is not based in reality.
Zack and Aerith Could Reunite in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Final Fantasy 7 Remake's Aerith is the driving force behind the team's decision to alter fate. Seemingly aware of the major events in the original title, Aerith's actions are directly responsible for Zack's second chance at survival. It is unknown if Aerith is aware that her decisions will bring Zack back, but Intergrade hints that Zack's first action, post-survival, is to look for her. When and if the two find each other, it will certainly be awkward, as she will be traveling with a version of Cloud that is essentially living as Zack, following his death.
When Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth launches, the Cloud, Aerith, and Zack love triangle will likely be a major focal point, as Zack's survival creates a paradox of events. If Zack hadn't died, Cloud would not have been motivated to become a mercenary, nor would he feel a connection to Aerith. Likewise, Aerith would not have been on the same path to meet Cloud, and the two would not have joined forces to alter fate during the game's conclusion. Many fans anticipate the reunion between Zack and Aerith and the answers that come with it when Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth releases later this year.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth releases in winter 2023 for PlayStation 5.
