Zack was born in the town of Gongaga, where he spent his early years until he joined Shin-Ra's military forces around the age of 14. There, he was placed under the tutleage of Angeal Hewley for the next four years to become a member of SOLDIER.After the Wutai War was resolved, Zack, along with Angeal and Sephiroth were sent to Wutai to learn what had become of the SOLDIERs under Genesis. They learned that he had turned his back on Shin-Ra, and had to be stopped at all costs. Trailers from the game show Zack conducting various missions given by Lazard as a member of SOLDIER, and his early relationships with many recurring characters such as Cloud, Sephiroth, Tseng and Aeris. Crisis Core should also reveal how Cloud and Zack became best friends, and how Zack met and developed a relationship with Aeris. At one point in the game, Zack learn from Lazard that Sephiroth turned down a mission because he would not want to fight his only friends, Angeal Hewley, and Genesis Rhapsodos. After the Genesis mission, Zack inherited the Buster Sword originally belonging to Angeal, and was soon assigned to Nibelheim with Sephiroth to investigate the nearby Mako reactor. They were accompanied by two Shinra troops; one of them whom happened to be Zack's friend, Cloud Strife. Upon investigating the reactor and returning to town, Sephiroth visited the nearby Shinra Mansion and discovered documents that he misinterpreted, and led him to believe he was the son of Jenova, whom he thought was one of the Ancients. The information drove Sephiroth insane, resulting in his destroying the town of Nibelheim and nearly all of its inhabitants. Following Tifa to the Nibelheim reactor and finding her injured inside of it, Zack eventually confronts Sephiroth in a duel, but Sephiroth defeats him easily. Sephiroth then heads into the deepest part of the reactor, towards a stasis tank that contains the one he calls Mother , Jenova. Suddenly, Cloud appears from behind Sephiroth with the Buster Sword, and stabs him. Cloud then heads back to check on Tifa, when Sephiroth emerges from the inner reactor, carrying Jenova's severed head. Cloud and Sephiroth then battle again, the end of the fight leaving Sephiroth falling to his apparent death in a pit of mako, with Cloud and Zack severely wounded.