Zack (Dead or Alive)

Zack is a DJ and a major protagonist from the Dead or Alive series. He is a self-taught Muay Thai fighter. Zack only enters the Dead or Alive Tournaments for money and fame.
He was voiced by Bin Shimada in the Japanese version, and by Dennis Rodman in Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball, Khary Payton in Dead or Alive: Xtreme 2 and Keith Silverstein in Dead or Alive 5.
==History==
===The First Tournament===
After hearing about the Dead or Alive 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.
===The Second Tournament===
Zack entered the next tournament to please his fans and gain more money. Through the rounds, he had to face Tina Armstrong, who he took a fancy to, and tried to ask her out. Tina wasn't impressed and refused his advances, giving him a mirror and told him to "use it", hinting that she didn't like his appearance. Taking slight offense, the two fight it out.
As Zack went through the rounds, he meets Tina's father, Bass, who, being a protective parent, became enraged when he learned Zack liked Tina. He also meets Leon, who seems to know him, but Zack claims that he doesn't know the man at all (and pulls the same mirror insult on Leon that Tina did.) After the tournament, Zack once again succeeded in this task and returned to his life of leisure.
===The Third Tournament===
After exhausting all his financial reserves, Zack entered the third tournament to earn more money so that he can enjoy a Las Vegas vacation. During the tournament, he has to fight Gen Fu, who wants the prize money to pay off his granddaughter's hospital fees. Although Zack tries to tell him that if Gen Fu let him get the prize money, he could double it through gambling in a day, Gen Fu doesn't believe he can, and the two fight. He also fights Bass once more, and both fight over the who is going to win the prize money.
In the end, Ayane actually came first, but due to her departure after the tournament, Zack claimed the title by default, and got the prize money. With the winnings, Zack went to Las Vegas, and not only did he meet his future girlfriend and partner, Niki, but they also won a fortune from the Roulette tables together.
===Forming Zack Island===
Using the winnings they got in Las Vegas, Zack and Niki managed to buy a private island. He then sent out invitations to all the previous female contestants of the Dead or Alive tournament (as well as someone who wasn't previously a participant) that indicated that a new tournament was going to be held there. However, when they got there, they discovered the entire thing was a hoax. After two weeks passed, the dormant volcano unexpectedly erupted, with Zack being abandoned by Niki. Despite the fiery destruction of the island, he managed to survive, albeit bankrupt.
===The Fourth Tournament===
Despite public expectation, Zack went right on to his next conquest by attempting to climb the DOATEC Tritower during the fourth Dead or Alive Tournament. Despite nearly making it to the top, Zack was blown off the side of the building during the initial destructive explosions that were the result of the Mugen Tenshin Ninja Clan’s attack on the corporation. After watching the explosion in shock and disbelief, he turns around to find Bayman who immediately confronts Zack. Still in shock, he fights Bayman.
When Helena activated the building’s self-destruct and attempted suicide by staying inside the building, Zack was the only fighter able to get to her. Having his extraction pilot fly through the blazing tritowers, he pull her from the roof she was standing on seconds before the building’s detonation. Because of this, Helena gave her first place title to him.
Afterwards, Zack and Niki are reacquainted and go on an expedition to Egypt where they discover and explore a crypt, finding a large fortune, fighting off and fleeing an army of undead skeletons in the process.
===Resurrecting Zack Island===
Using the fortune Zack and Niki uncovered in Egypt, Zack, with help from extraterrestrials, resurrected Zack Island and renamed it New Zack Island. He then sends out fake invitations to the new Dead or Alive tournament to lure the girls over, although only Hitomi fell for the same trick twice, as the others had come over for their own reasons besides the tournament. Notably, Helena Douglas came over to see Zack with an offer. After two weeks had passed, Zack was about to propose to Niki, although a meteor shower set off the volcano again, sending it underneath the waves once more. Although Zack was assumed to have perished, he ended up being saved by the aliens he earlier made a deal with.
===The Fifth Tournament===
Zack is under Helena's employment during the two years after the fourth tournament. He is also the host of the fifth tournament, and during the reopening of DOATEC, Zack travels to give fighters invites to the fifth tournament.
He watches Kokoro fight Akira Yuki and comments saying "10 years. Time sure does fly". It is assumed that he was talking about Akira due to the fact that more than 10 years have passed by the timeline of Virtua fighter series.
Later on, Helena asks Zack to bring Hayate, Ayane, Ryu Hayabusa and Bayman to her on the Freedom Survivor to talk about personal business, specifically about Donovan and his new organization, MIST. Zack finds Hayabusa in New York, but is unable to convince him to go with him to Helena because of the Dragon Ninja's personal business and refusal to go on the helicopter. He somehow is able to recruit Ayane and picks up Hayate in the Middle East, but is unable to convince Bayman to join because he needed to go to other places and investigate about Donovan and Christie.
===Resurrecting New Zack Island===
Shortly after the fifth tournament, Zack decides to rebuild once again the New Zack Island after the last catastrophe two years ago. However, Zack is busy working on a something very important job, so he appoints a substitute to be the owner of the island while he´s gone.
==Character==
===Appearance===
Zack is a young African-American man who likes likes to keep up with his looks. As he keeps changing the style of his hair and dyes it constantly such as crimson red, neon green and turquoise, but his natural hair color is unknown though it is presumed to be black. Zack chooses to wear dark sunglasses and goggles with colored lenses that hide his eyes, but his eye color is dark brown as revealed in Dead or Alive 5 in his second costume: the player can see his eyes from the sides of his glasses.
Often seen wearing bright, colorful, and sometimes absolutely bizarre costumes in the tournaments, Zack has one of the most flamboyant appearances in the series, as well as being the only character that goes through the largest change of appearance every game, since he changes his hair so much.
One of his recurring costumes, and possibly his most iconic outfit, is a tight full-body "alien suit". Made from silver, reflective material, the suit comes with boots and gloves with neon green trim, a blue screen on his chest, as well as a hood with red goggles. The hood gives Zack "pointed ears", and a flowing antenna on his forehead, which can glow purple when he taunts other fighters.
In the latest installment, he has a completely bald head for the majority of his costumes, and has a more mature appearance. He has a naturally colored trimmed beard, and his skin is more normally dark. He wears a lot more conservative costumes, such as suits, hoodies and jeans, but he still does possess the alien suit, and an even more outrageous Disco inspired jumpsuit and flowery afro wig, and platform boots.
===Personality===
Zack is perpetually happy, silly, optimistic and a natural showman who lives to entertain and tries to never disappoint his friends. He is constantly smiling and bares a positive light about himself, simply shrugging off any setbacks and insults that may come his way. Wherever he goes, Zack often makes commotion and creates scenes. With his cheerful ways, clownish antics, and sometimes weird behavior, Zack is often a source of comic relief in the series.
When fighting, he likes flashy, showy moves, and keeps up a constant patter of talk and laughter. His ego has led him to create autographs and statues in his image, even naming an entire island after himself. Zack used to be money-hungry; he entered the tournaments solely to win the prize money to fund his luxurious lifestyle, and he is a master at the casino table. However, by the time of Dead or Alive 5, Zack becomes a polite and reserved man; he may have learned this working under Helena.
Zack does also care for other people; he saved Helena from committing suicide at the burning tower, and is willing to help Helena from building a new and peaceful DOATEC.
==Etymology==
The English name Zack is a short form of Zachary, a form of Zacharias, which in turn is a Greek form of Zechariah. The name Zechariah is from the Hebrew name זְכַרְיָה (Zekharyah) which means "Yahweh (God) remembers".
==Gallery==
DOA5_Zack_Render_2.png
==Navigation==
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