Cloud and Zack's Friendship
by Kuraudo
In one important scene of Advent Children, Cloud is asked what he cherishes most. The
first person that he thinks of is Aerith, but second is notably Zack, his best
friend who sacrificed his life to save him in the beginning of Final Fantasy VII. The
friendship between these two is an important aspect of Final Fantasy VII, and the bond
between the friends is endearing. Zack is a key part of Cloud’s past, and to the
many mysteries that shroud it.
Though not touched upon very much in Advent Children, and only shown through
flashbacks in Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core, a spin-off game starring Zack, sheds light on
Cloud’s past and relationship with Zack, from their first meeting, all the way
up to Zack’s tragic demise.
We know from Final Fantasy VII that Cloud’s childhood was unhappy, he felt weak and ashamed,
and longed for friendship. Cloud really wanted to be part of Tifa’s group, but
was never accepted, and thus spent his childhood without any friends, left
gazing up at Tifa through her window. When Tifa had her accident at Mt. Nibel,
Cloud was wrongly blamed by the adults, although he only had the best of
intentions. This caused Cloud to blame himself, and made him feel very weak. As
a result, he began to get into fights with anyone he could, as a release for his
anger and shame. Cloud leaves Nibelheim with dreams of joining Soldier and
becoming as strong and famous as the great Sephiroth, intending to prove to his
hometown that was not weak as he seemed to them.
When we meet Cloud in Crisis Core (at age 15), he is but a lowly Shinra grunt,
having not made it into Soldier. He still dreams of one day making it in, but it
is obvious from the way he acts that his past failures have made him insecure
and deteriorated his self-esteem.
Cloud and Zack meet for the first time when their helicopter crashes in the
mountains on the way to a mission in Modeoheim. Zack, being from the country,
has good stamina, and as the group trucks uphill, he is far ahead of everyone
else. Cloud, also a country boy, is the only one able to easily keep up with
him. Zack compliments him on being able to keep up, and the two begin an easy
conversation. Cloud is very soft-spoken, and isn’t good at socializing, but he
and Zack hit it off right away.
Zack asks him where he is from, and Cloud does the same, actually chuckling when
Zack replies with, “Gongaga,” remarking that it’s such a backwater name that
it’s funny. Cloud and Zack talk more, and end up laughing together.
Seeing Cloud laugh is so rare that it’s a real sight to see, and he laughs so
easily with Zack that it’s obvious they’ve got real chemistry. They’ve obviously
become fast friends, and considering Cloud never had friends growing up, meeting
Zack must have been great for him. In addition, there’s the fact that Zack is
also a First Class Soldier. Cloud must have been amazed that a First Class would
talk to him at all, let alone compliment and befriend him.
Zack is generally a very optimistic, very outgoing person, the kind who always
looks on the bright side of things, even during hard times. He is understanding,
and always supportive to those who are feeling down on themselves. He is very
much like Aerith in terms of personality, and is the polar opposite of Cloud.
Cloud, at this point, is a quiet, uncertain young man with a very low
self-esteem. Later in Final Fantasy VII, he will grow to be cold and generally aloof due to
his insecurities.
Let’s think about how Aerith’s personality contrasts with Cloud’s, and her
ability to open him up because of it. Outgoing Aerith brings out the best in
Cloud, who is never one to express his emotions. Now think about Zack, whose
personality is remarkably similar to Aerith’s. Wouldn’t having a friend with
such an optimistic personality like hers do wonders for Cloud? It’s obvious from
their initial meeting that Zack and Cloud work well together. Having a friend
like Zack is certainly great for Cloud, with Zack’s ability to get Cloud to
talk.
In Crisis Core, when Zack meets important characters at different points in the
game, their images are added to the DMW, a sort of roulette system that controls
Zack’s limit breaks in the game. Cloud is one of the few characters added in it,
showing his importance to Zack.
Zack is also very good motivation for Cloud to work at pursuing his dreams of
becoming a Soldier. The theme of “holding on to your dreams” is used heavily in
Crisis Core, and Zack uses it as his motto of sorts whenever times are tough.
Zack himself is a First Class Soldier, whose dream was to be a hero, and from
their first meeting, it is obvious Cloud has great respect for and admires him.
Several times Cloud asks Zack what it’s like to be in Soldier, and if he has
what it takes to make it, as if for reassurance. What’s funny is that, while
Cloud left his hometown to be like Sephiroth, who was his idol of sorts, Cloud
grows to admire Zack much in the same way.
Zack, always supportive, tells Cloud to hold onto his dreams and work hard if he
wants to make it into Soldier. Cloud himself, showing his rare softer side,
sends Zack messages at one point in the game thanking Zack, saying that his
words give him courage to stay strong, and that he’ll never forget them. In a
way, Zack takes on the role of mentor to Cloud throughout the game, similar to
the way Zack’s own mentor, Angeal, did to him. It is from Angeal that Zack
learned about the importance of holding onto your honor and pride, and Zack in
turn passes that to Cloud.
Cloud and Zack’s friendship grows during the game, the two of them building a
strong bond. Zack is the first true friend that Cloud’s ever had, and Cloud
grows to trust him greatly. One could even say that their relationship is
similar to that of brothers. In Nibelheim, Cloud is too ashamed to show his
face, yet wants to visit his mother. Embarrassed, he messages Zack, asking him
to join him for support.
One of the greatest displays of friendship between the two is after the burning
of Nibelheim, when Cloud and Zack escape from Shinra Manor. Zack wakes up in a
test tube four years after the massacre of the town and escapes. Unharmed from
the testing that he was subjected to, he is perfectly fine, able to function
normally. Cloud on the other hand, his mind and body unable to withstand the
Jenova cells influence, was in a catatonic state, unable to move or think
properly.
Cloud is unable to do anything, and at this point, is more or less a deadweight.
Had it not been for Zack’s help, Cloud would not have been able to escape from
Nibelheim, and may not have survived. Zack shows dedication to his friend here,
taking Cloud with him without a second thought, rather than leave him in the
mansion, which he could have easily done. In truth, leaving Cloud behind
would’ve put a lot less weight on Zack’s shoulders as he tries to outrun the
Shinra army. But no, being the true friend to Cloud that he is, Zack takes Cloud
with him.
Zack has to move slowly, and support Cloud as he walks, so the progress the two
make is slow. Zack must also frequently leave Cloud in a secure area for a time
while he scouts ahead for danger. While Zack is a very optimistic person, it
would be difficult for a normal person to keep high spirits in this situation.
Yet Zack remains cheerful throughout the long journey. He’ll often talk to
Cloud, as if pretending they were having a two-way conversation, although they
really weren’t. Zack has such a vivacious personality that he is rarely down,
even with Shinra hunting for them as they make their way to Midgar.
Zack speaks of the future to Cloud when they’re sitting in the back of the
yellow truck heading to Midgar. He tells Cloud that he wouldn’t just leave him
once they got to Midgar, and tells Cloud that he’s figured out a career for the
two of them–they’d be mercenaries. This is also where we hear Zack’s famous
line: “We’re friends, right?”
After the scene in the truck, we are shown that Cloud is beginning to come out
of his coma-like state. He reaches out to Zack as he walks away, though still
not able to speak.
Zack, as we all know, sacrifices his life to save Cloud from being killed. This
act is without a doubt the greatest show of friendship and caring. Zack is pit
up against the Shinra army of 1,000, fights valiantly, and defeats all but
three. Zack is gunned down just outside of Midgar, and Cloud comes out of his
semi-comatose state just in time to watch his friend die before his very eyes.
Zack tells Cloud that he will live on, and be his “living legacy.” He passes the
Buster Sword to Cloud and dies. Cloud is so shaken that he screams out in
despair, the loss of his friend hitting him hard. Once Cloud manages to compose
himself, he says goodbye to Zack, for this would truly be the last time they are
physically together, and promises that he “won’t forget.”
Due to the trauma Cloud endured, he essentially blocked out his memories and
fashioned himself a new persona in Final Fantasy VII, using some of Zack’s memories and
claiming them as his own. We know how much Cloud admired Zack, Zack was the
Soldier that Cloud aspired to be, and this is the reason that Cloud uses Zack’s
past in such a way. Cloud essentially blocked out his memories of Zack as a
person, their friendship, and so forth, forgetting that Zack existed. While he
was still the same Cloud on the inside, he pretended to be the great Soldier
that Zack was on the outside by claiming to be a Soldier First Class.
He keeps up the facade until the second disc of the game, when the truth is
revealed and Cloud pieces together his past, finally remembering who Zack was
and what he had done.
Zack’s friendship and mentoring greatly impacted Cloud in Crisis Core, his words
Cloud literally clung to, but sadly many of his memories of Zack appear to have
been lost. He is never shown thinking of Zack’s inspirational speech about
holding onto his dreams again in Final Fantasy VII or Advent Children. In fact, the most
vivid memory that Cloud has of Zack was from the time of his death.
Still, Zack had a lasting effect on Cloud, even after the events of Final
Fantasy VII were
said and done. Cloud felt guilt for Zack’s death that stays with him until all
is resolved in Advent Children two years later. In Advent Children, Cloud
obviously cherishes the memory of his friend, shown in the scene where he stands
at Zack’s grave. Using the Buster Sword as a marker, Cloud speaks of the promise
he made to his friend. In the same scene, Cloud thinks back to his last memories
of Zack, which have faded over time to nothing more than glimpses of a distorted
figure. When comparing the image of Zack from the truck scene in Crisis Core to
the image below of what Cloud remembers him to look like in the same scene, the
difference is clear.
The guilt Cloud feels over the deaths of the people closest to him, and the
knowledge that he has a terminal disease, weighs heavily on Cloud’s mind,
preventing him from really living his life, much less living out Zack’s. Zack
obviously cares greatly for his friend, as shown by his presence in Advent
Children. When Zack appears out of concern for his friend, his presence relieves
Cloud of the guilt that he felt for his death.
Many people even believe that the grey wolf, while a symbol of Cloud’s guilt, is
actually a physical manifestation of Zack, continuing to watch over Cloud, even
after his death.
After Cloud is killed by Loz and Yazoo near the end of Advent Children and is
floating in whitespace, Zack watches over Cloud as Aerith tends to him and shows
that he has lost none of his cheerfulness with death. He jokingly tells Cloud he
doesn’t have a place with him and Aerith among the dead yet.
With that, the last traces of Cloud’s guilt fade away and the wolf disappears,
returning to Cloud. Zack appears for the final time in Advent Children standing
beyond the door of the church, bathed in light. The scene is bittersweet. As
Zack returns to the Lifestream, he waves to Cloud a final time, ensuring him
that all is fine, and though Zack doesn’t once speak to Cloud, his very presence
in the church provides solace for Cloud.
We know that Cloud had felt very alone after Final Fantasy VII, as if there was some part of
his life, some part of him, that was missing. The loss of those important to him
very much contributed to this. Now that Cloud is aware that Zack has never
blamed him and is still there for him, Cloud’s words (“I’m not alone...not
anymore.”) appear to be directed at least partly to Zack
In Crisis Core, we learn that Zack’s dream was to become a hero. By doing what
he did for Cloud, he accomplished his dream, even at the cost of his life.
Although many memories may have faded, memories of Zack’s heroic deeds continue
to exist within Cloud. At one time, Zack’s future looked bright, he was a young
man with his entire life to live out. Although Zack’s life on the planet was
tragically cut short, it was not without good reason. It is because of Zack that
the events of Final Fantasy VII and Advent Children unfolded the way they did, as Zack was
the reason that Cloud survived and was able to go on and become the hero he was
meant to be.
Cloud will never forget Zack, who was his best friend in life, and now that he
is finally free of guilt, he can now keep his promise to Zack and live out the
rest of his life for him. Zack returns to the Lifestream with a key to Cloud’s
past, and confirmation that although he is not physically there with
Cloud, his memory will always live on in Cloud’s heart.
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