Final Fantasy VII - Cloud and Zack Secret Flashback Scene

Flashback scene involving Zack and Cloud in Final Fantasy VII. To view this, you must return to the Shinra mansion library during Disc 3.
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[@xrustynailsx]

God Cloud got such a raw deal in life. Gets blamed for Tifa getting hurt from the bridge in Nibelheim, Sees his whole village and mother kill and burned, gets impaled by Sephiroth's sword, and then while laying in a pool of his own blood nearly dead, he gets experimented on for FIVE AGONIZING years. Sees his best friend die in such a brutal way and was powerless to help him. Returns to Tifa as a 21 year old with the mind of a 16 year old, and severe Mako poisoning to boot. Like damn you can't help but feel bad for him.

[@simeacalvinlifeobserver3741]

@xrustynailsx Then Cloud almost kills his friends girlfriend (Zack and Aerith). Instead Sephiroth does that a Soldier who worked with Zack. Then gives Sephiroth Black Materia and causes the END OF THE WORLD AS AN ACCOMPLICE. GEOSTIGMA........!!!!!????

[@FranWest.]

Think he was only in the tank for about 2-3 years... (For his age to line up).

[@nekogamer2508]

​@@FranWest.He was 16 at Nibbleheim incident 21 during his time as a merc in midgar

[@FranWest.]

@@nekogamer2508 You are right.

[@randomt800kiddo2]

@@nekogamer2508nope, it was only four years, cloud spent a year in midgar offscreen between the end of crisis core and ffvii. aerith says four years in her final message to zack

[@xShinigamiRyukuux]

I like that Zack talks to Cloud like a normal person despite him being comatose, just in case his words can actually reach him.

[@acano718]

I think this plays out beautifully in Crisis Core as well

[@LCTesla]

and they did

[@angryalbertan9353]

Yeah, when I was battling cancer my mom and dad Would talk to me. And even though I wasn't really awake I still heard them. So these scenes got to me when I replayed the game. Good detail.

[@LanceTheDragonMastah]

Hes used to rambling to people who arent listening i think

[@nate6045]

There's actually a phenomenae called "locked in syndrome" where people who we think are comatose aren't actually comatose and are fully aware of their surroundings but unable to move. In generally happens after a coma. That's why it's actually important to talk and interact with people who appear to be in a coma on the off chance they aren't.

[@8aba_Yaga]

Get yourself a friend like Zack and you're good for life

[@Xygor]

True!

[@fishygal53]

Zack was so close to reuniting with Aerith

[@motionista]

I am playing CC for the first time and I'm loving it, but no ending scene could be as impactful as this one. It's the subtleties like the music becoming a little quieter before Zack says "We're friends, right?". Basically with this one phrase, we can feel the tragedy of Cloud not remembering Zack for the entire game while Zack had risked and eventually lost his life, but did not abandon Cloud. Or the fact that he completely misunderstands the driver and goes on with a ridiculously random idea of becoming a merc. It gives him character even though he has minutes of dedicated gameplay. And the way he dies like a stray dog, by the hands of those who would once be his subordinates assigned for helping with menial tasks. This is really sad but really perfect

[@acano718]

I love everything about this story. Always been a huge fan of Cloud, but man ever since Crisis Core, I absolutely love the entire lore of Zack Fair! How he was always part of what happened, but kind of took a backseat in the original story. I cannot wait to see how this unfolds in Rebirth!

[@MrDiomedes1977]

Yes, its great un a sad way. But I prefer CC, Zack goes in a blaze of glory nearly defeating a whole army and gets to say some words to Cloud while agonizing.

[@JoshArtisto]

Zack is one of the most tragic characters in FF. His story is so cool.

[@medikor9190]

It's so much better than how they retconned it in Crisis Core. Less is more.

[@Thecommander248]

​@@medikor9190 I kinda liked it in Crisis Core. The acting wasn't great, but the "living legacy" thing gives Cloud an excuse to forget Zack. Without meaning to do so, Zack's words to Cloud almost left him forgotten and made Cloud's journey harder as Cloud forgot who he was. Yet it also gave Cloud an anchor to keep himself grounded until he could figure out who and what he truly was. It adds to the tragedy of Zack in my opinion.

[@giuseppejoseph8890]

Yep this is a very well hidden scene. You'd never think to go back to the labs at that point.

[@conmane3341]

Everyone that discovered it mostly bumped to this cutscene by trying to explore everything before facing Seph

[@giuseppejoseph8890]

@@conmane3341 I mean the journals in the basement make sense afterwards. They're depicting Cloud and Zack's escape up until Midgar.

[@EmeraChimera]

I found it when I left the city of the ancients to retrace my steps because I didn't realize you're supposed to try and sleep for the next part of the game to happen lol. Me and my brother ran around there for at least a week and it honestly paid off because we would have never saw this scene otherwise lmao

[@steelright1071]

Cloud raising his hands up to the sky (screaming in pain I imagine?) then slide to midgard is so beautiful and sad. This scene fucking rules

[@felphero]

Man, I know these are basically akin to cute little lego models, but the way Zack gets executed like it's nothing was brutal

[@trainosaurousrex4472]

Right?!

[@digitalfanboy6557]

duh it's assassinated

[@jakedge3]

thanks to how the rules of icon art works on the human mind, it's actually more brutal BECAUSE they're lego models.

[@zeldaoc7]

They didn't give him any last words or give him a tropey speech to make Cloud seem more tragic, they just unload a machine-gun into Zach and leave him dead on the ground. For a game that stays fairly PG for like 90% of the story, the few brutal moments like this and Aerith's death become way more haunting. When OG FFVII wants to make a scene impactful, it always lands.

[@Neethan3247]

Yeah these cute little Lego characters are in a far better game than the ones they're making today. The so-called remakes.

[@AwesomeRandomVids]

I was frustrated because for the longest time I didn't know this scene existed. So when I saw it in crisis core I was confused why they didn't do anything like that in the original. Now it all makes sense. Years later

[@TheDreadedZero]

Okay I don’t know if the game just wasn’t written well or if it was me being 14 at the time but I played through FFVII multiple times when it came out and I didn’t get ANY of the stuff about Cloud not making it into SOLDIER and taking on Zack’s memories and having Jenova cells… I know they elaborated more on that in the movies and Crisis Core later on but I feel like that stuff was blink and you miss it in FFVII. I mean it’s been 25 years so it’s common knowledge now but at the time it wasn’t clearly explained. Also like you said this scene was completely optional and easy to miss.

[@LeafStorm14]

@@christalbott450 Yes I love Gackt too

[@TheDreadedZero]

@@stopbeingignorant or I was 14 when I played it and it was over 20 years ago

[@justinwhite2725]

@@TheDreadedZero the part about cloud not making it into soldier and fake memories was entirely in disk 3... You can't miss it, it's required before cloud joins the party. The project reunion stuff - yeah. That's all this scene. The reason he doesn't have a number is because he escaped. And I've had lots of arguments with people who hadn't seen this scene.

[@brotbrotsen1100]

This scene must have left a impression on people since Zack is even a playable character in the game Ehrgeiz on the ps1 which naturally released waaaay before crisis core.

[@nataliealtemose5277]

proud to say I saw this on my first playthrough. though - those were back in the days that you always went back EVERYWHERE and checked EVERYTHING

[@tobaccojacko]

Really? Was there other unknown secrets you found?

[@justinwhite2725]

Yup. I was like 'ok I better check everything before my final battle with the end game boss.'

[@justinwhite2725]

@@tobaccojacko you can meet Lucretia in a side cave. That gets explored later in Dirge of Cerberus. Also there's a hidden secret in the honeybee inn that points to reeve being Cait Sidhe's controller. This was an unconfirmed rumour before Dirge of Cerberus made it clear. In the honeybee inn there's an elderly couple thst talks with the same dialect as reeve (lost in the English translation) and of you angle the keyhole the right way you can see a Cait Sidhe doll in the corner.

[@Alstanus]

Honestly, yeah. I feel like back then, unless your family was wealthy, that might've been the only game you had to play for a few months or more before you got a new one, so you'd practically 100% it. Lol

[@carpetbombjesus]

I love how Cloud is just dying in the back and Zack is asking him what their business venture should be about

[@justinwhite2725]

He's not dying. Just in a mako stupor.

[@Growmetheus]

Looked like he was crying lol

[@felphero]

My man Zack all happy and looking to the future meanwhile Cloud's literally's there drooling with no control over his bowl movement

[@kricku]

@@felphero *shids pants loudly

[@caeloMius]

They put this in a secret scene, that's a ton of effort I wonder how many people completed the game without seeing this.

[@justinwhite2725]

Most of them. I'd say maybe 5% of players or less would have bothered to go into the shinra mansion in disk 3.

[@Rikent]

I saw it but I never understood it until I played Crisis Core.

[@duperonmusicchannel7918]

I discover this scene by accident as a kid. My brother owned this video game. I was 11 and loved it so much I was totally fooling around one day and I came across this like “wow what is this!” I told my brother and he wouldn’t believe me. I visit every place after that cutscene hoping for more secrets😂

[@Pegasas15]

This is probably the third or fourth time that I have played a full run through of the game. I finally discovered it by reading an article. Likely would have missed it again! Probably the most emotional scene of the game and completely fills in prudent blanks. Can’t believe I have never seen it until this year!

[@CrystallusAngelus]

I just completed my first playthrough, trying to do the side quests and everything, and still somehow managed to completely miss this...

[@TheSirSpence]

I just realised why cloud left the buster sword to rust there. Its a grave marker. Thank you for sharing this

[@Xygor]

Glad it helped!

[@xStanyyx]

Wait wtf of course thats the reason. How the fuck didnt it click for me 😅

[@TheSirSpence]

@@xStanyyx I am right there with you FF7 is my absolute favourite game of all time. I have played it so many times and it took this video of a scene which I have watched before, to realise this.

[@tiotito31]

When did he leave it? I don't remember that in the game.

[@TheSirSpence]

@@tiotito31 at the very end of the game. Maybe post credits. It's been a while. But it is there at the beginning of Advent Children

[@yumatsukomi]

Oh i see why cloud became a mercenary in ffvii, working for money at avalanchr

[@sebastienbeaudal]

I always come back to this particular scene every now and then. The absolute silence at the end when compared to every iteration in the compilation and remake just fits Zack's character so well. The random and brutal way his life ends after traveling from Nibelheim to Midgar with a comatose friend, only to die when their objective is in plain sight is so cruel. Cloud takes his sword, the rain begins to fall, not a single word is echoed. Less is more, and this scene in particular makes me realize how this game was made with such a different intent, both in execution but also ideologically in contrast to Crisis Core and the remake. Zack was a hero for the deed of protecting his friend until the end, and yet he died without any honorifics and so unexpectedly here. It feels so much more real and raw than his death in Crisis Core. It also makes more sense in the way Cloud is broken from this encounter, how his brain infused with Jenova cells did not regain control of his new identity until he met Tifa. By making Cloud talk with Zack at the end of Crisis Core retcons a major plot point, especially when he tells him he won't forget him. I guess it still works, by having his Jenova Cells react when he meets Tifa and claiming Zack's SOLDIER persona as his own, but I personally prefer the way it was delivered in this version overall as it makes the whole forgetting Zack more believable and less convoluted.

[@shane7051]

Everything you said is the exact reason FF7 Remake/Rebirth and the compilation as a whole is so bad. They feel the need to change too much and add in backstory and detail where it doesn't belong. It's awful

[@amuroray9115]

@@shane7051 so you didn’t want to learn more about Zack? I heard he was a minor character in the original FF7

[@mikeheiser77]

Not sure where I saw this, but it’s about a year from the time of Zack’s death to the time of Tifa reuniting with Cloud. It’s more likely that Cloud, when he finally gets to Midgar, stumbles around for a while doing nothing as if he were just another Black Robed Sephiroth Clone and not a player character up until Tifa gives him an identity to use lol

[@Onmysheet]

​@shane7051 Also revealing Sepiroth so early compared to how little he was present in the original ruins his mystery. In the original, you can feel his threat and Cloud's fear even when he's not there.

[@Pit_1209]

@@shane7051 ok so you're saying that changes made by the original creators because they wanted to tell their story how it was supposed to be without technical constraints is bad? I mean the original is there for you to play for eternity but I don't get people always criticising changes because of nostalgia.

[@seanpoag4170]

"Cloud, you are my living legacy"

[@SWISS-1337]

I legitimately have played through this game 13 times, and never seen this until today... Is there anything else that everyone in the world has missed lol

[@SeafoamSmiles]

A lot of people probably missed the secret scene with Lucrecia (Vincent's former love interest and actual biological mother of Sephiroth) in a cave somewhere in the overworld. That whole plot point gets explored more in depth in Dirge of Cerberus.

[@justinwhite2725]

Yup. This and lucretia are the 2 major secret scenes that are off the path.

[@carlosu6437]

I bought the magazine so I got all the walkthroughs/secrets

[@SWISS-1337]

@@SeafoamSmiles saw that one, legitimately only missed this one.

[@xxreyoxx]

I mustve been the few who played the game to its entirety back when it came out and this scene really broke my heart. Even moreso years later seeing it fully rendered in Crisis Core. Zack really is a swell guy. =']

[@firebug7208]

Damn, they fuckin' double tapped Zack. Makes sense though

[@Jeremo-FD]

But then they just left Cloud even though he was clearly alive too.

[@jacobcoleman8250]

In the state Cloud was in, they figured he was no threat to anyone and would’ve just died out there.

[@yams7355]

I had beaten this game twice back in highschool and I had no idea this existed until like a minute ago.

[@Eudaimonia24th]

As an OG player, I had no idea!!

[@lens_hunter]

As an avid fan of the game since it came out, it's hard to think back to the times when I totally missed all of these things in my first initial playthroughs of the game. It's crazy how much backstory is optional.

[@Xygor]

True!

[@lincolnvaldez1873]

Even after having played through Crisis Core for the first time recently I still prefer Zack's death scene in this vs the one in CC. This is more believable, not exaggerated like CC. Even as a kid I found this to be a very sad scene. After getting to know Zack's character in CC it makes it even sadder now. Always hopeful no matter how high the odds were stacked against him.

[@blankempathy]

OG ff7 is better in my opinion. In CC he's some super human anime protagonist that can fight entire armies, mechs, monsters etc until he can't. In here he's just a man. He isn't some super being. He's just as vulnerable and fragile as anyone else when caught off guard. Nor do the Shinra soldiers laughably just leave him for dead after he wiped out practically everyone. He is a threat and is treated as one. They made sure he was dead. Not left to give some final words like some over the top drama.

[@kellevichy]

@@blankempathy Based

[@raulsouza5866]

Yes, the original game overall has very dark moments (that are dark without being edgy) that just couldn't be matched by remake or crisis core :/

[@Kira22558]

FR​@@raulsouza5866

[@Kira22558]

​@@blankempathyvery based

[@orangesplatanimations]

This scene hits different in Crisis Core

[@ultimiteshadow]

Deadass

[@DriftKingfromTekken3]

Too dramatic, and a victim of the time it was made. FF7 rules because it doesn't treat the source material like a fucking episode of DBZ. Kingdom Hearts level fanfic is all CC will ever be.

[@Chud_Bud_Supreme]

​@@DriftKingfromTekken3No kidding. I just looked up the CC version and couldn't take the melodrama

[@UomoCheSapevaTroppo]

@@DriftKingfromTekken3most accurate description of how the compilation ruined in a lot of people the perception of FF7, bless you man

[@nicolasschannen353]

It's not bad, but I still prefer Zack's ending seen in the OVA "FF VII Last Order"

[@ltb1345]

Glad I'm not alone in having had no idea about this on my first playthrough.

[@trainosaurousrex4472]

They really just dragged him off and continuously shot bullets into him, no words said.

[@comixproviderftw_02]

If I was a kid at the time and I never found this moment that’s clearly missable and supposed to be crucial information to the story, I’d be pissed.

[@seankkg]

I didn't realize this was in the actual game, I thought it was just an accepted canon they liked to recreate. All of that happening in silence out of nowhere is pretty intense.

[@Pikachu-qr4yb]

The fact this was a pretty well hidden scene that’s optional but connects all the dots was so epic at the time.

[@specialpunch-id]

I remember this scene from back in middle school days. I am so happy I got to see it. If you read the FF7 compilation novels Tifa helps Cloud find work and since Cloud was on his bike and had to find ingredients (I think) or parts, he founded Strife Delivery Service.

[@mowserbedowser5436]

I'll never understand why they made the main character's backstory a secret cutscene, but hey. Maybe it was a programming thing.

[@carlosaugustodinizgarcia3526]

It was because that scene did not exist in the original japanese release from January 1997.It was created (to explain some plotholes ) for the western version and in the japanese FF 7 international.

[@lennymosca9099]

I think at the end of the Final Fantasy 7 remake the trying to recreate the scene

[@lennymosca9099]

I believe what you're seeing here you'll see in a replay of the Final Fantasy 7 remake you saw the first half of the battle where he survived the Whispers had nothing to do with Zach death repeat the Shinra Army in the opening battle then goes and turns around the pickup cloud and is gunned down by three survivors of that particular Squadron that survived the onslaught of Zacks battle Jack didn't have time to check to see if there were any survivors he need to get Cloud to midgard and to a hospital to be checked up on he didn't anticipate Survivor Survivor not on slots so we did as guard down and was shot from behind I think in the second half of the Final Fantasy 7 remake you're going to have to see exactly how it went down and I'm just looking forward to Part 2 this is really be sweet

[@otocan]

@@carlosaugustodinizgarcia3526 Do you have a source for that? I find it hard to believe that the localization team would go to the effort of creating a whole new scene from scratch themselves, and then hide it away like this.

[@taylorfranco4972]

@@otocan kinda makes sense considering how many plot points were left out of the western version due to horrible translation. The story makes way more sense once you fill in those holes. Idk why its hidden or if it was added after the japanese release.

[@DarkSpiderZero]

You know, watching this scene again. It's so weird how the Shinra troops shot Zack THREE times, in order to make sure he's dead. But after doing all that, they spare Cloud. They go through the effort of tracking them down...why make sure only one of them is dead and not both.

[@vortexfighter6544]

i mean in crisis core cloud is not even there so what are we to believe

[@FragmentedR_YT]

The point of that was to show how weak and worthless Cloud was at that point in time. They assumed he’d probably never regain consciousness and just die out there.

[@They_are_Arthur]

Cloud was so insignificant to Shinra that they saw his worth as nothing. It's poetic that this cutscene shows the fall of a hero and the rise of another.

[@Deciheximal]

Hey bad writers gonna bad write.

[@They_are_Arthur]

@@Deciheximal That's not bad writing, it's just using a dramatic incident to tell a story.

[@fifofuko1864]

im so glad my curiosity won in that moment and i went to the library

[@purr_purr_meow_meow]

I’m just now learning about this 27 years later…. Wow ❤

[@darryl7803]

after watching FF7R ending, then came here to rewatch this scene, there is still possibility that Zack will still die but only not shown.

[@stevejonas5572]

When Aerith passed him, he was still carrying Cloud, before his death. I think it was a teaser to get fans engaged but I agree he could still have died.

[@sfsreiq]

@@stevejonas5572 On the Remake timeline, yeah, he's still dead. The Zack that lived is on a different timeline. What they are going to do with that though, that's a good question. Get ready for some KH bullshit guys lol

[@imCOLDholdME]

@@sfsreiq no he is still alive. The PS5 version included another secret scene where Zack goes to Midgar to the church where aeriths flower bed is to see her, but she’s gone. Look it up.

[@sfsreiq]

@@imCOLDholdME I did, and that can be a million different things...

[@imCOLDholdME]

@@sfsreiq seemed pretty straight forward, zack is suppose to be dead by then. This was clearly after aerith left with cloud and gang. Not before. And the whole remake is about going against their fate so they can defeat sephiroth once and for all.

[@Invertedzero]

There was so much put into this game

[@Xygor]

True!

[@RobbieChance]

The silence at the end absolutely makes this. These days, it'd be super overproduced, orchestral, etc. Kinda my main worry about Rebirth, but still - amazing we even are getting the 'remake.'

[@Mr_Sev]

Can’t wait to slowly mash L2 and R2 for five minutes to slowly crawl up to Zack’s corpse in the remake.

[@rythmjc3]

Cannot believe 27 years later, we finally saw Cloud and Zack fighting together, their mercenary dream come true

[@Swordacus]

As a child i remebered zack having dragon ball hair and it was long! It would look so OP! He would rival sephiroth hair. He was definitely my favourite when Ehrgize came out.

[@simeacalvinlifeobserver3741]

@Swordacus Ehrgeiz: God Bless the Ring, Final fantasy tactics, Kingdom hearts 2002-2003ish .... In HIGH SCHOOL COLLECTING games with Cloud, Sephiroth, Tifa, and Aeris. and some others FF8 blah blah. Still got them. Zack didn't know he was on the game during then.... SO BONUS.

[@Fade7k]

I remember watching this with my brother, he was the one that beat the game as i was watching too. Its a fond memory and it's why i love the story so much.

[@Neethan3247]

I legit did not know this scene existed omg...it makes the experience so much greater. So sad what happens to Zack and Cloud.

[@Onmysheet]

I remember finding this cutscene by accident.

[@deezee2965]

Ha... the good old days of the "Secret Super Important Plot Point" of the old JRPG ... Missing Yuffie... Missing Vincent... Missing Barret Ultimate Weapon... The number of stuff I missed... Golly What a Joy ... But of ALL the plot point you could make optional you made this!

[@soniccinos]

I’m so glad they made an entire game to explain this scene!

[@MoonlightBrillance]

Holy shit this is so brutal and sad. OG Final Fantasy 7 hits different

[@F154B0N3]

Cloud spends so much time clinging to the edge of life

[@helen8022]

I remember watching this the first time. I went back cuz I wanted to read the books that were in the lab (cuz I'm obsessed with the story of ff7 lol) and rewatching this scene again in Crisis Core and Last Order just 😭 Zack and Cloud deserve better

[@masked6060]

I discovered this scene on my frist Playthrough because i returned to Shinra mansion to recruit Vincent 😂

[@adventureoflinkmk2]

As did I

[@TheWhomst]

Why am I just learning that Zack was a character in og and not just made up for cc

[@dobrozner7784]

He was mentioned quite frequently in the OG. He's shown in Nibelheim flashbacks, he was Aerith's boyfriend that disappeared, you even meet his parents in Gongaga. I mean, the biggest (and non-optional) twist in the story is that Cloud was mistaking his memories for Zack's.

[@TheWhomst]

@@dobrozner7784 yeah I’m playing ff7 og now…before that I only played CC. And when people spoiled 7 OG for me no one ever mentioned him so that’s why I thought that

[@andreilacerda5634]

He's shown in the Life stream part

[@jainee4507]

Its pretty cool that Square would hide such a pivotal scene that only the most obsessive of players would find. They really rewarded those who dug deep into the game.

[@Jeremo-FD]

They shoot Zack & he goes down. Then they proceed to pump a bunch more bullets into him. But when Cloud starts making noise they're like "nah we got no time to finish him off let's move out"

[@johnepants]

I never played any of the extra games, but I always inferred that Zack was a buddy and mentor to Cloud. Almost like Cloud was usually provided as his Shinra soldier back up and they were riding buddies, which is why Zack goes way out of his way to take care of Cloud after they break free

[@GeorgiaAndrea]

Zack in the original didn’t go back to Aerith while in CC he really tried his best.

[@gamingandrewbro8815]

Because it doesn't make sense to go back to aerith if he knows he being watch by Shinra.

[@pikaporeon]

Because FF7 was well written and the supplimental materials don't care so much about plot consistency or logic

[@knockknock2008]

​@@gamingandrewbro8815 going back to Midgar with Shinra after him didn't make much sense either. At least in cc they tried to give a reason behind it, with him wanting to reunite with Aerith.

[@viviv6774]

actually... he does. He said it : "I know a place where we can crash at." And then adds "Wait, the mother lives there too..." Might be a chance he's referencing his GF which was Aerith at that time.

[@brotbrotsen1100]

@@viviv6774 It definitely was. When you visit gongaga with aerith and go into zacks house she leaves when she hears his name and i think there are even more hints that they know each other. Speaking from a point of view before crisis core released of course.

[@iusedtomakefandubswheniwas3052]

Zack's death here was very realistic and brutal, there were no well-lit cinematic epics or intricate camera tricks. Only one man who was killed in an instant, and then finished off with more shots. I prefer the Crisis Core version a thousand times because of the entire set obviously. But here it's just dark.

[@johnxina7496]

god damn that shit is brutal man

[@932ForeverLove]

Oh, that execution was BRUTAL! Definitely shows how disgusting Shinra. Though I think I prefer Crisis Core where Zack goes down swinging.

[@raikohzx4323]

The reason this scene just sorta "happens" if you arrive in the lab is because it wasn't in the Japanese version. It's an added piece of content for the American and later on International releases of the game, so this was effectively just filling in gaps that the devs realized were unanswered in the initial launch.

[@simeacalvinlifeobserver3741]

@raikohzx4323 I heard you NOW QUICK QUESTION!!!!! WITHOUT THIS WHO IS AERIS TALKING ABOUT ON DISC ONE AT THE PLAYGROUND.... HER ALSO FIRST CLASS SOLDIER BOYFRIEND??? THIS IS FROM 1997 NOT 2005 AND DAMN WELL NOT 2020-2024. Again Japanese version versus US who cares you could say Rushed production. The question is and please answer in the Japanese versus does Aeris mention a 1st Class Soldier Boyfriend in Disc one. (No time to explain money money money!!!)

[@simeacalvinlifeobserver3741]

/shorts/ztMkuIcYf4o ))))final fantasy 7 crisis core ruined aerith((((( Go to the link of the video above for what did she say in the Japanese version of the Game.....??? hope to get an answer!!!

[@azgazr8]

I’m so glad I got this scene in my original play through

[@GacktSe7en]

I remember being frustrated at a lot of people who played the og series and never saw this scene because i saw it when i played the og series back in the day on the PS1 😂 back when i couldn't look for proof on KZbin which didn't exist at the time to show anyone.

[@Gypsyblood777]

Pretty crazy that this scene was missable

[@davidrich27]

3:58. Now imagine, just offscreen, he slaughtered like 300 grunts.

[@thelongestshadow3389]

I completely forgot i even saw this once. Its sad for a lot of reasons, but i never realized how messed up it was that they showed that shot of midgar like that after the fact. The planning of the future and they were right there and that's how it ended for Zack. And Cloud only havjng enough strength through will and anguish to pull himself over to him and scream. Still hits after all this time even though crisis core breathed more life into this. A classic.

[@BeakerSte]

I'm pretty certain there is another hidden scene where Cloud plants the buster sword in the same place Zack died... Amazing game.

[@yourehereforthatarentyou]

i think you’re thinking of advent children

[@BeakerSte]

No, in the original game. If you go to a cliff overlooking midgar. Cloud plants his sword in the ground

[@keestar8740]

I’m genuinely baffled that people didn’t know that my boy Zack existed in the o.g game, Aerith mentions him in the park with cloud I’m sure in disk 1 and also if you go to gongaga in late game one of the houses is Zack’s mum I’m sure also mistakes cloud for Zack, also the fact he fought soldiers off screen and then went to check if cloud was still alive and got shot while his back was turned is fully dark 😩

[@MyUnitProcess]

I wonder if this scene will be in part 3 when cloud goes into the lifestream with Tifa and remembers everything. It’s probably going to be a copy and paste from Crisis core but can’t wait

[@Pokaroquai]

This feels eerie, with all the straight silence and few sound effects and no music. It's so different compared to Crisis Core.

[@SephirotHeRe]

FF7 has so many iconic characters lol it’s insane

[@youngkev1]

Zack 💔

[@HendrixRipoff]

damn I forgot all about this scene, haven't seen it since my first playthrough back in the 90s

[@dannyb9209]

Remember finding this but accident one day after I'd been grinding in mideel for hours to get to level 99 and to break up the monotony I popped back to nibelheim...... Blew my little mind

[@AnnkkoR]

this is also the only time you see midgar from this point of view and it is a beautiful and sad shot

[@Ahmed-og2jm]

I'm so glad Zack is alive again....he always deserved more

[@sharynmorgan944]

They brought him back so that he can help the Comatose Cloud get well, as Marlene said " You need to make Cloud better , so that he can save Aerith " or something along those lines.

[@pullcounter7011]

I'm having fun with rebirth. But I wanna replay the original now lol

[@alexisgouet1437]

Je suis choqué de découvrir cette scène presque trente ans plus tard.

[@DavidMaxSteinbach]

Im very curious when was Cloud able to scratch in his capsule to leave a message on getting out of here.

[@jpatnew]

The issue I have, and they've reconned it right? Is Zack is on his way to be a merc, who Cloud goes to be for him, but he's killed by 3 first fight shrina soliders. It should've been more subtle like delayed mako poisoning.

[@simeacalvinlifeobserver3741]

@jpatnew don't know what you mean by delayed mako poisoning. Zack and Cloud went through 4 years of this experimenting/mako poisoning/jenovah cells implanting Remember Timeline Cloud born>>>then teen with tifa>>> then failed to become first class soldier at 16>>> Then 4 years captured and imprisoned at lab>>>> on the run with Zack 1 year after kidnap>>>then shinra soldiers shoot Zack and leave Cloud alive then meets Tiifa a train station of Midgard and remembers her>>>>Then Game starts first gameplay....

[@BillyBlaze4Christ]

Its a coincidence that the 3 soldiers that killed Zack in FF7 Original. Look just like the 3 soldiers in FF7 Original that Cloud trained with in Junon to march in the parade . (Im not implying these were the guys that killed Zack) Do you guys remember? Cloud also teaches them his victory pose It was 2 soldiers and a commander Then in FF7 Disc 2 right before you get the submarine you bump into the two soldiers and the commander that Cloud trained with in an elevator. You have the option to fight them or take them prisoner. Right before you make the choice they do Cloud's victory pose lol.

[@simeacalvinlifeobserver3741]

@@BillyBlaze4Christ Crisis Core is Canon on Zack's Death scene. Do you know what happen to him in that game?? Don't think the theory will line up. Any soldier could have done Zack in nothing personal. Wonder when cloud was infantry what he was up to?? 16 year old CLOUD...

[@nameless646]

They'll put this in the next remake installment and there will be people complaining that the OG flashback is more dark and depressing.

[@simeacalvinlifeobserver3741]

Zack ALIVE ZACK OH YEAH BABY!!!!!! AERIS GREAT GOSPEL LIMIT BREAK PROOF SHE STILL IN AND CHADLY'S VR MISSIONS AS PROOF TOO. SO COOL WE GET A VR-AERIS/MODS OR REVIVE HER/VR MISSIONS YEAH!!!!!!😁😁😁 😁

[@darksoultrey167]

Why wasn't this in the lifestream scene With Cloud and Tifa instead of here

[@Hustlery]

True

[@datboy_woohz]

look zack in still blinking his eyes at the end .

[@alirezashojaei4634]

for the people who don't know, this scene wasn't in the original Japanese version of the game. This scene was added in the international version. The reason why this scene is different in crisis core is well, because Japanese gamers didn't even know this scene existed

[@Order-Sol]

*Fly high*

[@alphabulblax1649]

I genuinely thought Zack just died against Sephiroth in the original and everything after that was made up for Crisis Core. In retrospect, the fact that Advent Children referenced these events when it came out 2 years before CC should have been my first clue.

[@Kira22558]

Ps1 Zack model still feels Nostalgic.

[@boiyonetta]

Lol, some guy looks like he is sleep walkong into the room 'bringing food' for somebody (?Hojo? Zack?). Then releases Zack from the chamber and gets knocked out by 1 punch from a First Class Soldier.

[@fgrnb353]

go and purchase advent children blu-ray and part of this scene is all in japanese in their compilation extras. 😊

[@mystroxbeats802]

Yea I remember this very well. I'm glad they remade this scene in crisis core

[@Theblackman11395]

Sometimes i wonder how did cloud survive that pod with zach normally people dont survive the pods and end up sick and forgotten

[@IrCrysis]

Can't believe I've never seen this. Played through 7 when I was like 7-8 for the first time. I'm 35 now. I've played through the entire game probably 8 times. Beat all the weapons pretty much 100% the game. Hundreds and Hundreds of hours. Just finished Crisis Core Remake, as I never had a PSP. Thought it was amazing for what it was and the aspects of the story. Had a recommended video pop up reference this scene and I was like wtf are they talking about. Wish I woukd have seen this long ago. Would have put a lot of things together for me that ive been curious about for my whole life 😂 for the most part theres never any reason to go back to shinra manor after cloud gets his mind right. Everything there is already done by then and enemies are underleveled for any type of character development.

[@iceburgslim2000]

One of the biggest tragedies in gaming history.

[@highwind8124]

4:54 - "GOHHHHAN-SAN!!!"

[@Thecommander248]

It's so weird to see people come back to this after the release of Rebirth. Spoilers children.

[@supersaiyanzero386]

I was wondering how people knew about the cloud can Zack backstory for so many years 1000 hours just in Steam version probably a couple hundred on the PS1 from back in the day and I just never saw it so I just assumed people ripped it from somewhere I never played Crisis Core until like right before the release of rebirth very cool thanks for sharing Yeah idk maybe i saw it...but not in my playthrough Also contrast this with Crisis Core reunion or just crisis core the level of drama and sadness is so much more extreme but they still convey it with this scene

[@RatchetMiner]

I never knew this existed until now. Did this hit CC Remake?

[@Alecup06]

How do o get this scene ain't showing for me do i need to do some puzzle or some shit

[@renegadegg9716]

Never knew this was a secret I thought everyone knew about it

[@justinwhite2725]

I've had many arguments with people who haven't seen this scene. It proves cloud would have ended up just like the robed men of it were for running into tifa. It also shows that the time between Zack's last stand and FF7 start is barely even a day.

[@Growmetheus]

Plus Cloud was convinced he was this man’s “living legacy” with nothing but memories of him to define his character. If Zack survived, he would remind Cloud who he is. And Cloud’s only battle would be with the reunion cells… wait would zack join the reunion?

[@Soki7000]

@@Growmetheus Nah, he was too resistant to Jenova’s cells to be influenced. Probably most SOLDIER operatives would be the same.

[@kelgcelcs1242]

@@Soki7000 Yeah Zack was already injected with Mako energy first before so he’ll be fine. Cloud on the other hand was in a Vegetation state because he got injected with both mako energy AND Jenova cells at the same time.

[@M-E_123]

I reckon it's longer than a day given Clouds state here & until he meets Tifa at the Sector 7 train station (as shown during the lifestream part of the game) - Clouds already at the "this guy are sick" stage of being a "man in black cloak" while still up in the mountains and when Tifa first finds him at the train station - so he's basically crawled down a mountain then across the Midgar wastes, then through the slums (you enter the Midgar slums near the Sector 5 Church in the original game) - I'd say maybe a week or two (but yes, essentially it's really close to the start of the game when Zack gets killed). Also the whole reason Cloud heads for Midgar is likely to be the Reunion (Jenova cells drawing him to the Shinra Tower like the other, tattooed, test subjects) - from the Sector 7 slums he'd have hopped a train to the upper plate if meeting Tifa hadn't snapped him into adopting Zacks personality / business plan of being a mercenary (ironically suggesting he'd possibly have been the first test subject to make it to Jenova and take her head given where he was when Tifa found him - another mark against Hojo for failing to give him a number).

[@mrmofo36]

didnt notice before...looks like a plate is missing, sector 4?

[@justinwhite2725]

Yes. That's where the church is and why flowers can grow there and near Aerith's house. Explained in Before Crisis. Midgar was attacked by a weapon and the turks defeated it but it caused that plate to collapse.

[@mrmofo36]

meh retcons, but anyway it still makes no sense, its clearly there in the game intro which is a short time after this

[@Soki7000]

The plate isn’t gone. It’s always just been damaged. That’s why the collapsed expressway in remake exists and why the scale model of Midgar in the OG Shinra building is missing a piece.

[@mrmofo36]

compare to the intro scene showing the whole city and its just the plate between the 6 and 7 reactors thats incomplete but present, whereas in this scene its between 5 and 4 and there's nothing at all. and the collapsed expressway would be in sector 6, yes? that would be 2 sectors to the left from this mystery gap

[@nathanwatts3557]

This hits harder now I have named my son Zack after him 😢

[@AmineUchiwa23]

Commander who kill Zack isn’t that one at Junon in Rebirth ? Easter Egg or every commander in the game are in red suit ?