What if Zack had been the hero?

[Wolf Kanno]

Say Zack survived and made it to Midgard with Cloud, how do you feel the game's story would have changed and do you think Cloud would have still try to be hero or do you think Zack would snap him back to himself earlier? What about the idea of Cloud not recovering and Sephiroth maybe taking over Cloud and using him as his physical avatar instead of Jenova? What do you feel would change the most dramatically?

[maybee]

That would of been pretty cool, because there would of been no love triangle.

[Jiro]

I don't think Zack would've gotten involved with AVALANCHE for a start, so everything changes from there on in. He'd have his own battles to fight that are bigger than just "gotta save the planet."

[CimminyCricket]

It would have been super awesome to start off with two party members with giant swords.

I'm sure there is a reasonable fan fiction somewhere.

[Jiro]

Could you imagine them steam rolling into Shinra HQ? By jove.

[CimminyCricket]

I can imagine wrecking a lot of things. I wish someone would make an awesome video of Cloud & Zack v. Everything


"I'm glad you lived through getting absolutely riddled with bullets, Zack"
"Me too, Cloud. Let's go get revenge."
"With you still alive, I do not question my existence as much. You complete me."
"What?"
"Death to Shinra, etc."

[Forsaken Lover]

It would be a much less psychologically intriguing game and more like FFIX.

[Mercen-X]

Following the events of Crisis Core, Cloud miraculously recovers from his catatonia just in time to get Zack to a doctor in Midgar. Zack recovers and, full of spite for ShinRa trying to kill them, decides that he and Cloud will bum rush the HQ and knock it the fk over.

They find that Jenova has been transferred here from Nibelheim, Cloud freaking out over it being headless. The two of them liberate Nanaki (Zack insisting on knowing his real name) and proceed to confront Shinra. Cloud appears to go berserk and impales Shinra. Before Zack can react, the Turks (all of them) arrive to shut down this raid and the two of them are forced to escape on the Hardy Daytona (Cloud rides bitch).

With ShinRa leaderless, Zack determines that they should reconsider his original plan to just become mercenaries, but they'd have to get as far away from Midgar as possible since ShinRa would definitely be after them. So they make their way back to Junon. During their journey, Zack reflects and finds it ironic that he had previously spent weeks trying to get back to Midgar.

They encounter Yuffie Kisaragi who is stunned that Zack doesn't remember her (she's changed). She steals their materia and runs off, but they manage to find her in Junon and retrieve their materia. Here, they meet Rufus Shinra who explains his plan to rule the world, having Hojo and Scarlet developing biological and ballistics weaponry that will go unmatched.

Cloud wants to put a stop to Rufus' plot but Heidegger has doubled the number of soldiers stationed at Junon and they can't take them all on alone. Wanting to get across the sea, Zack drags Cloud along as he stows aboard a cargo ship. While aboard, they meet AVALANCHE composed of Tifa, Barret, Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge. With them is Aeris whom Tifa met at Wall Market while infiltrating Corneo's. They learn that AVALANCHE heard the news of the attack on ShinRa HQ and the President's death and decided they needed to leave Midgar as they would likely be blamed and couldn't risk bringing the heat down on their home.

Tifa and Cloud reminisce, somewhat hesitantly, Cloud is awed that Tifa somehow seems to know Zack as well. Zack tries to understand what has possessed Aeris to leave Midgar and travel with this "organization". Cloud's motion sickness causes him to run off and disappear somewhere into the ship. The group looks for him and Zack encounters Sephiroth in the engine room. Tifa and Aeris arrive to hear Sephiroth's explanation of his plans to destroy ShinRa and to reestablish the Cetra race.

Zack finds Cloud vomiting near a stack of crates and they leave the ship together upon docking at Costa del Sol. They make their way through the mountains to North Corel. Zack expresses a hint that he may be content to live out the rest of his life traveling between here and Gold Saucer. While Aeris admits Gold Saucer sounds fun, she has already left her home and insists she be able to see more of the world. The group takes a bit of a break at Gold Saucer.

While Cloud and Tifa go out on a date, Barret and AVALANCHE just kind of wander around. Zack and Aeris, after having their fortune read by Cait Sith, look around Dio's trophy room. According to Cait Sith, their future is inexplicably tied to a "near" "green" "stone". Zack decides to take the odd "keystone" that stands in the center of Dio's trophy room. Dio insists the only way he'll get it is to fight in the arena. However, the Battle Arena is shot up and Zack finds Barret standing amongst the bodies. Dio orders Barret, Aeris, and Zack be dumped below. After Barret confronts his friend Dyne, Zack convinces the local "authority" to send them back up to talk with Dio.

The group leaves Gold Saucer with the Keystone and a buggy. At Gongaga, Zack is convinced by Aeris to go and speak to his parents. Aeris thinks he should probably stay here with his family, but Zack simply wants them to understand his presence would only endanger them. The group travels up to Nibelheim where Zack and Tifa begin to express concern at Cloud's lack of memory. Cloud and Tifa explore the town while AVALANCHE waits at the inn. Zack and Aeris enter the ShinRa mansion. In the basement, they encounter Sephiroth, Aeris asking him questions about the Cetra. Sephiroth demands Zack follow after him and flies away.

Back in town, Tifa claims that Cloud has disappeared, spouting something about Mount Nibel and "Reunion". The group travels through the mountain and finds Cloud at the old reactor. They take him off of the mountain and head to Rocket Town where they meet Cid. Zack smooth talks Cid into flying him and Aeris to the Temple of the Ancients where they'll find Sephiroth.

While Cloud and AVALANCHE make their way back to Cosmo Canyon, Zack, Aeris, and Cid arrive at the temple where they encounter Tseng of the Turks. They use the keystone to enter the temple and fight their way to its center where they meet Sephiroth who explains a bit more about the Ancients, his plans, and Meteor. Realizing that the temple is the Black Materia and a sacrifice must be crushed inside to obtain it, the group is flummoxed over how to proceed until Cait Sith arrives. Curious what he is doing here, Cait hands Zack a phone and tells him and the others to leave the rest to him. On the phone, Tifa explains that Cloud, Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge had been abducted from Cosmo Canyon by ShinRa and the company expects Zack to hand over the Black Materia once he obtains it. Cait Sith's sacrifice creates the Black Materia, but Sephiroth arrives before Zack can get his hands on it.

Back at Cosmo Canyon, Zack, Aeris, Cid, Tifa, and Barret collude on how to retrieve their friends from ShinRa. Without the Black Materia, they have nothing to bargain with. They have to follow Sephiroth to get the Black Materia back. Asleep that night, Zack dreams of Aeris in a forest and awakens to realize she has gone ahead of them to a place called the Sleeping Forest near Bone Village. Cid flies the group to Bone Village and they travel down to the City of the Ancients. Here, as Aeris prays at an altar, Sephiroth attempts to kill her but is intercepted by Zack. For the first time, Sephiroth is forced to contend with Zack, Tifa, Barret, and Cid.

On his way out, Sephiroth tells them he will be heading to the Northern Crater, daring them to follow. The group makes its way their, encountering illusory visions that confuse them as they go. Sephiroth tries to convince Tifa that Cloud isn't real. He also tries to convince Aeris she isn't an Ancient and that Zack is a clone.

Pushing past the lies, the group encounters ShinRa deep in the crater, having flown here in an Airship Cid designed, their purpose being to obtain its massive reserves of Mako. When they produce AVALANCHE, Cloud is not among them and he instead appears hovering above the two groups before transforming into Sephiroth and pushing the Black Materia into a Mako coccoon housing the true Sephiroth.