In Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion, fans get to play as Zack Fair, Cloud’s best friend. Some may be aware of Zack’s past from the original FF7 game, while others learn about it as part of the game’s story. The two make an interesting pair in Crisis Core, as Cloud is rather meek while Zack acts as Cloud’s mentor, but their names are symbolic to their similarities and differences.
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The Meaning Behind Cloud Strife’s Name
Cloud is well-known to plenty of gamers for various reasons, including the “edgy” persona he gives off in order to seem stronger than he actually is. It would be hard to find someone who doesn’t already know his name, and it’s commonly understood that “Cloud” was chosen as his name to reflect how he doesn’t have a sunny disposition, or a bright past. He was always struggling to make friends, and he even struggled to get into the SOLDIER program. His life was always rather drab; like clouds covering the sun.
His last name, Strife, is a good representation of this too, as his life was always full of “strife” while he struggled to make a name for himself. However, the dictionary definition of the term showcases another meaning. “Strife” is usually defined as a person “angry or bitterly disagreeing over fundamental issues or conflict,” which fits Cloud’s overall attitude perfectly.
The History of Zack Fair’s Name
Zack’s name is a bit more interesting than Cloud’s in the sense that it matches with another character, Aerith. Aerith was originally written as “Aeris” in the original game due to a mistranslation, meanwhile Zack was known as “Zax” in Japanese before localizers opted to make it sound more normal in English. Where Aerith’s mistranslation was fixed, Square Enix adopted “Zack” as the SOLDIER operative’s name in both languages - though it’s still spoken as “Zax” in Japanese.
The last name “Fair” has some interesting details as well. It deals with “fair weather,” when the skies are nice, calm, and wind levels are pleasant. However, there’s a secondary meaning in his last name as well, as Zack could be described as a “fair-weather friend;” someone who offers help or joins in when it’s easy for them to do so.
Between Cloud and Zack, they share two important meanings in their names. First is the associations with weather, between cloudy skies and a “fair” day out, that symbolize how their lives are meant to go. Cloud has it rather rough, while Zack made it into the SOLDIER program with few struggles. It helps emphasize the fact that Cloud looks up to Zack, the type of person he wishes to be.
However, the second meaning does a great job at representing their personalities. Cloud tends to groan and gripe when people like Tifa ask him to do something he doesn’t want to, but Zack is usually helping others whenever convenient. Zack and Cloud are different, especially after everything Cloud goes through, but they’re also similar in many ways. Their differences and similarities are why the two of them work great as a pair of tragic best friends.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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