Army of Thieves makes a convincing argument that Bly Tanaka is connected to the zombie outbreak in Army of the Dead. Released on Netflix in 2021, Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead immediately gives the audience an explanation behind its undead apocalypse. A military convoy is transporting Zeus - Army of the Dead's zombie progenitor - out of Area 51, but collides with a... er, distracted couple of newlyweds driving out of Las Vegas. Zeus escapes containment and embarks of a bloody tour of the strip to mark the onset of Army of the Dead's rotting woes.
Snyder has since confirmed Zeus was a human soldier, experimented on by the U.S. government. An official named Torrance commissioned trials for a mysterious pathogen (likely of extra-terrestrial origin), and Zeus was the ugly result. The apocalypse happened due to ill-advised alien experiments and poorly-timed sexual activities, but many questions remain unanswered - especially when it comes to Hiroyuki Sanada's Bly Tanaka. A criminal casino owner and billionaire, Tanaka hires Scott Ward (Dave Bautista) to retrieve his Las Vegas safe contents in Army of the Dead, but the mission is merely covering his true purpose - to retrieve and sell an Alpha zombie head to the government.
As shady as Tanaka acts in Army of the Dead, Netflix's spinoff, Army of Thieves, only draws more suspicion Bly's way. Does the casino owner know more about Zeus and the outbreak than he's letting on? And did Tanaka actually play a part in the original Area 51 experiments?
Army Of Thieves Makes Tanaka More Important (& Suspicious)
Bly Tanaka is a pretty big deal in Army of the Dead, but the villain becomes an even bigger component of Zack Snyder's universe thanks to Army of Thieves. Meeting Scott Ward in a greasy diner, Tanaka was first established as a moderately famous casino owner - ludicrously wealthy, but not so rich Ward wouldn't believe he'd handsomely pay a group of mercenaries to retrieve cash he'd already been compensated for. Showing Tanaka in cahoots with government officials, however, Army of the Dead hinted this was more than just a "casino owner." Sure enough, Army of Thieves proves Bly's influence runs much deeper.
Matthias Schweighöfer's spinoff reveals Bly Tanaka owns all 4 of the famous Hans Wagner "ring cycle" safes, and has them dotted across the world, holding increasingly large sums of cash. This alone proves Tanaka is more renowned and well-connected than Army of the Dead perhaps gave him credit for.
Even more suspicious is how Tanaka's 3 safes outside Las Vegas are being simultaneously decommissioned in Army of Thieves, which is set right at the start of the outbreak. To say the dead are coming back to life represents "uncertain times" would be a colossal understatement, so it's financially astute for any billionaire to keep their money close... but why did Tanaka act so fast? Tanaka shifting his assets right as the Vegas incident begins is very suspicious indeed, suggesting he learned about the outbreak before anyone else, and knew how serious things would get. As for how he received this information...
Did Bly Tanaka Help Create Zeus Before Army Of The Dead?
As confirmed by Zack Snyder himself, Army of the Dead's Zeus was a soldier infected by a mystery pathogen at Area 51, but some pressing questions remain. Where did the pathogen come from? And where was Zeus being taken during Army of the Dead's opening sequence? Bly Tanaka might provide answers to both.
In Army of the Dead, Tanaka is seen conspiring with black-suit-and-shades types, plotting to sell them an Alpha zombie head once Martin gets back from his Vegas trip. Such good political connections aren't forged overnight; Tanaka didn't just call a senator and ask if they'd be interested in an Alpha's noggin. This could mean Bly has already been selling black market goods to the U.S. government - potentially even the alien pathogen that infected Zeus. Perhaps Tanaka acquired the extra-terrestrial cooties from a satellite or underground dig, then charged the authorities top dollar for it. That would explain how Bly reacts so quickly to the outbreak, and why he's the one trusted to locate an Alpha sample for the government.
Another possibility is that Bly Tanaka bought Zeus prior to Army of the Dead. Whatever mad science created Zeus, it's odd that the original zombie was transported out of Area 51. Where could be safer than the most protected secret facility on U.S. soil? Perhaps the experiment was deemed a failure (for obvious reasons) and Zeus was sold to the highest private bidder - Bly Tanaka - only for the "product" to be lost during transportation. Again, this would account for the billionaire's super-suspect movements in Army of Thieves, and make Tanaka partially responsible for the world's plight.
Army Of Thieves Hints Tanaka's Involvement In Army Of The Dead's Time Loop
One of the most popular Army of the Dead theories is Vanderohe's time loop. Spotting a pile of corpses that look suspiciously familiar, the philosophical circular saw enthusiast wonders whether the Las Vegas crew are reliving the same narrative over and over, dying each time. Army of Thieves adds fuel to his theory, when Dieter experiences a premonition. Snyder's zombie series hasn't yet confirmed whether the time loop is real or simply a metaphor, but Army of Thieves implicates Bly Tanaka as the temporal conspiracy's mastermind.
During his Army of the Dead ramblings, Vanderohe refers to Tanaka as the time loop's "puppet master," sending everyone into the same Vegas hell time and time again. Dieter then describes the Götterdämmerung safe as a "doorway to another realm." Though his words appear figurative, Army of Thieves teases something special and mystical about Wagner's "ring cycle" safes - something more than just being super-secure. Dieter tells the story of Hans Wagner, who locked himself inside his own creation. By cracking each safe, Dieter comes to understand Wagner's magnum opus on a deeper level, suggesting there's something mystical about the quartet of vaults. Could they all contain doorways to other worlds? Is that why Tanaka has all 4?
It's strange that Bly Tanaka opts to decommission 3 of his safes in Army of Thieves. Why take the trouble of moving and destroying the safes themselves when he could simply remove the money? And why wait until the zombie apocalypse to do so? Just as Gwendoline's gang use the Vegas situation as a distraction for their heist, Tanaka might be exploiting the world's diverted attention for a different purpose. Like Dieter, maybe Tanaka knows Wagner's 4 safes are literal doorways to another world - one where Tanaka found the virus he sold to the U.S. government. This would explain why the billionaire wants each safe decommissioned after the outbreak begins - to prevent any more pathogens passing through. The only remaining portal would be under the Vegas casino, where Scott Ward's team keep reliving the same mission ad nauseam.
Army of the Dead and Army of Thieves both conjure an aura of mystery around Bly Tanaka's motives, and there's clearly more to Hiroyuki Sanada's character than has been revealed thus far. Will upcoming sequel Planet of the Dead finally deliver answers?