Zack (Dead or Alive)

General CVG character
name=Zack


caption=Zack, as he appears in "Dead or Alive 3".
series="Dead or Alive" series
firstgame="Dead or Alive"
voiceactor=Dennis Rodman ("DOAX"), Khary Payton ("DOAX2")
japanactor=Bin Shimada
inuniverse=Fighting game character
nationality= flagicon|USA American
bloodtype= O
occupation= Disc jockey
fightingstyle= Muay Thai (Self-Taught)

Zack is a character from the "Dead or Alive" video game series.

History

Dead or Alive

After hearing about the tournament, Zack enters to increase his popularity and make a name for himself. He apparently succeeds in that endeavor, to an extent. He also earns a high enough ranking in the tournament to gain a prize of significant monetary value.

Dead or Alive 2

Zack enters the next tournament to please his fans and gain more money; he once again succeeds in this task and then returns to his life of leisure.

Dead or Alive 3

After exhausting all his financial reserves, Zack enters the third tournament to earn more money so that he can enjoy a Las Vegas vacation. It is revealed he did not actually win the tournament, but Ayane, who defeated Omega. Due to Ayane's departure after the tournament, Zack claims the title by default.

Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball

Shortly after his "triumphant victory", Zack goes to Las Vegas and using his earnings, bets it all in various casinos. He wins enough money to buy Zack Island, an extravagant private beach resort. He then invites all the women of "DOA" under the false pretense of another tournament, who take the bait and arrive on the island where Zack 'convinces' them to stay for a brief two-week vacation. He is accompanied by his girlfriend Nikki.

Dead or Alive 4

Alas, the infamous "Zack Island" has sunk to the bottom of the ocean. Now all that remains is a mountain of debt, one hundred times the size of the original investment. Even the normally aloof Zack will have a hard time recovering from this blow... or so everyone thought. Zack's sights are already set on his next conquest: the DOATEC Tritower, three enormous pillars stretching up to the sky.

Unfortunately, the tower catches on fire (as a result of the Mugen Tenshin attack) as Zack is climbing it. He manages to escape the flames, saving Helena's life in the process. He goes on with his girlfriend to find a large fortune, while fleeing an army of undead skeletons.

Dead or Alive Xtreme 2

After finding the treasure of an undead Egyptian pharaoh, Zack and Niki use their new found wealth to raise Zack Island from the Ocean floor, and once again turn it into an island paradise for the ladies of Dead or Alive to come play in. After proposing to Niki, Zack is apparently killed in a fiery explosion after a series of flaming meteorites once again destroys the island. However, it is later revealed that he was saved by an ambiguous alien abduction ray in classic Deus Ex Machina fashion.

Personality

Zack is perpetually happy, as well as money-hungry. He lives to entertain and never disappoints his fans. He is constantly smiling, and lets setbacks simply slide off of his back. When fighting, he likes flashy, showy moves, and keeps up a constant patter of talk and laughter. This can prove to be very distracting to his opponent.

Prior to the introduction of Niki in "Dead or Alive 3", he also had a rather noticeable crush on fellow DOA competitor Tina Armstrong. Her father, Bass, was strongly opposed to this pairing, probably due mainly to his own overprotective stance in raising Tina into an ideal daughter coupled with Zack's overwhelmingly flashy and flamboyant nature.

Movie Appearance

Zack is portrayed by Brian J. White in . Zack fights and defeats Christie's partner, Max, after Max feigns injury. He is then defeated by Tina. Zack flirts with Tina as he does in DOA2 and acts as a commentator for the volleyball game as a nod to DOAX. When Tina defeats him, Zack himself tells her that he's sorry for messing with her, and all is forgiven.

Gameplay

Zack's main strength is his quick strikes and mix-up game. His lifter "rising knee" is an excellent combo starter and leads to many juggling possibilities, such as the "belial rush" and the "demon rush" combo strings. His single strikes (such as the "long bazooka") are powerful, but leave him open for attack and throws. Over all, Zack's moveset concentrates on keeping the opponent speculating as to the next move, while his speed makes him a decent strike character as well.

Trivia

* Zack's appearance is based on the famous basketball player Dennis Rodman. Rodman even provides his voice in "Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball".
* Prior to DOA4 it was believed Zack and Lisa were related, however they are simply acquainted with one another.
* Niki abandons him in the ending of "Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball", though the two seem to have made up and become an item again during "Dead or Alive 4".
*One of Zack's outfits in "Dead or Alive 2" is similar to that of "Shadow Man".
*In Kokoro's "Dead or Alive 4" cinematic, Zack can be seen towards the end sticking himself out of a carriage looking at Kokoro.
*He's the only male character to appear in DOAX and DOAX2.
*Zack somehow does not star himself saving Helena as he did in her CG ending.
*Like Kokoro and Tina, Zack has only two main battles, compared to the other characters whom all have at least three.
*Zack's final stage only consists of himself fighting Alpha-152. Unlike all other characters fighting, he was the only one who starred alone (Ryu Hayabusa and Kasumi were together in theirs, Ayane and Hayate in theirs, La Mariposa and Brad Wong in theirs, Jann Lee and Lei Fang in Jann Lee's).
*Zack's costume shown in Helena's CG ending and on the game cover is absent in the game.