Zack Fair (Dissidia II)

Zack Fair (also known simply as Zack) is one of the newly summoned warriors fighting on the side of Cosmos in Dissidia II Final Fantasy. Described as the "SOLDIER of Many Emotions" in terms of playing style, Zack's power comes from his own feelings rather than brute force alone.

Called from his homeworld to continue the conflict between harmony and discord, he opposes Genesis Rhapsodos, warrior of Chaos, who abandoned Cosmos and turned traitor in search of the "Gift of the Goddess." Wishing to save Genesis instead of destroy him, Zack will find that despite the numerous betrayals he is forced to endure on his journey, the most painful of which being that of the legendary SOLDIER hero Sephiroth, his ultimate source of strength is the bond he shares with his numerous friends.

While in battle, Zack devastates opponents with various physical combos involving his Buster Sword. The price he pays for this power is that all attacks in his arsenal require a substantial recovery time, thus allowing opponents to get back on their feet and fight after taking punishment. Each attack also has a side-effect of sorts, one that changes with Zack's emotions, which the player is alerted to via on-screen prompts that appear at the start of a battle.

Crystal and Attire
While wearing his main costume, "Heroic Dreamer", Zack is equipped with a black SOLDIER 1st Class uniform. An "X"-shaped scar on his cheek, his black hair is long and spiked backwards. A lock of hair hangs loosely on the side of his face.

When wearing his first alternate costume, "Energetic Youth", Zack is equipped with a SOLDIER 2nd Class uniform and the scar on his cheek vanishes. His hair is now shorter and messier, still spiked but with long bangs rather than a hanging lock of hair. His Buster Sword gains the appearance of a standard SOLDIER sword.

When wearing his second alternate costume, "Beach Brawler's Gear", Zack's shirt is removed and he only wears a black bathing suit. His Buster Sword gains the appearance of an umbrella.

When wearing his third alternate costume, "Hero of Olympus", Zack is equipped with his armor from Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. His Buster Sword gains the appearance of a standard SOLDIER sword.

Zack's Crystal needed to open the portal to Feral Chaos takes the shape of a white feather, a reference to the feathers that adorn the wing of Zack's deceased mentor and friend Angeal from Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-. His manikin version, the Lost Legacy, is gray in coloration.

Allusions

 * The name of Zack's manikin, the Lost Legacy, is a reference to Zack's iconic line to Cloud Strife before his death at the end of Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-, "You'll be my living legacy."
 * Zack's crystal takes the shape of a white feather, a reference to the white feathers that adorn the single wing of his deceased mentor and friend Angeal Hewley from Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-.
 * At the end of Harmony Odyssey VII, Zack faces off against hundreds of manikins and defeats them without any assistance, battling until he has no strength left and eventually dies as a result. Zack is discovered by Cloud, whom he had befriended, and Zack tells Cloud that he will be his living legacy and is destined to fight in his place during the final battle against Chaos. This is a reference to the ending of Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-.
 * At the start of To the Final Fantasy -VII-, Zack is brought back to life as a warrior of Chaos. This is a reference to his time working for the Shinra Electric Power Company, which was considered evil by many people throughout the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII.
 * During his time as a warrior of Chaos, Zack teams up with Sephiroth as he continues his search for Genesis, despite still being incredibly loyal to the friends he remembers having on the side of Cosmos. The SOLDIER hero betrays Zack, and it is at this time Zack becomes a warrior of Cosmos once more. This is a reference to Zack's admiration for Sephiroth and the painful sense of betrayal Zack felt because of him in Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-.
 * Rather than seeking to destroy Genesis, Zack seeks to save him and return him to the side of Cosmos. This is a reference to the dialogue the two SOLDIERs share before thier final battle in Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-.
 * When Zack begins to return to his home world after the defeat of Feral Chaos, he is surrounded by white feathers and a ghost-like hand reaches out towards. Zack takes the hand and is lifted into an intense light in the sky. This hand, confirmed to be the hand of Angeal, and Zack's return to his own world overall is a reference to the ending of Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-, when Zack is guided into the Lifestream by his deceased friend and mentor.

Trivia

 * Square Enix confirmed that at the moment of his death in Harmony Odyssey VII, Zack became Cloud's lost one. It is through the efforts of Cloud in later parts of the story that Zack is able to return in To the Final Fantasy -VII- and The Final Fantasy -VII-, partly because Zack had passed his spirit onto him.
 * Several references are made to Zack in Dissidia Final Fantasy, even though Zack never appears physically.