What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe Outsider
Martin Zandvliet · Film · 2018
If you loved The Outsider, start with Giri/Haji (Joe Barton, 2019) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to The Outsider across media.
What hooked you in The Outsider was the way an isolated individual navigates the complex, unforgiving codes of a foreign criminal underworld.
Books on the same thread
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
David Grann · Book · 2018
Explores: Racial injustice, Corruption, Greed.
If The Outsider hit, Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI shares the thread.
The Stranger
Albert Camus · Book · 1993
Explores: Existential crisis, Moral indifference, Alienation.
If The Outsider resonated with your interest in detached protagonists, this novel explores the ultimate alienation and moral indifference that defines a man living outside of societal norms.
The Sympathizer
Viet Thanh Nguyen · Book · 2016
Explores: Dual identity, Unreliable narrator, The immigrant experience.
Much like the protagonist in The Outsider, this narrator grapples with divided loyalties and the struggle to maintain an identity while embedded within a secretive, dangerous organization.
Killers of the Flower Moon
David Grann · Book · 2018
Explores: systemic corruption, colonial exploitation, conspiracy.
If The Outsider hit, Killers of the Flower Moon shares the thread.
Series on the same thread
Ozark
Bill Dubuque · Series · 2017
Shares a thread with The Outsider: Crime Drama.
The Outsider mirrors the tension here, where a man forced into a new environment must navigate the brutal, high-stakes demands of a criminal underworld to ensure his survival.
Tulsa King
Taylor Sheridan · Series · 2022
Shares a thread with The Outsider: Redemption.
This series captures the core of The Outsider by following a man released from prison who must establish his own power base within a strictly regulated mob hierarchy.
Giri/Haji
Joe Barton · Series · 2019
Explores: Family Loyalty, Cultural Clash, Moral Ambiguity.
The Outsider fans will appreciate this exploration of cultural clashes and family duty, as a lawman is thrust into the dangerous, unfamiliar territory of an international yakuza conflict.
Mayans M.C.
Kurt Sutter · Series · 2018
Shares a thread with The Outsider: Redemption.
Echoing the prison release arc in The Outsider, this story follows a man attempting to forge a new identity while navigating the rigid, violent loyalty requirements of a gang.
Podcasts on the same thread
Criminal
Vox Media Podcast Network · Podcast · 2026
Explores: moral ambiguity, social justice, human behavior.
If The Outsider hit, Criminal shares the thread.
The Austin and Arthur Show
Podcast
Explores: Japanese Culture, Expatriate Life, Life in Japan.
If The Outsider hit, The Austin and Arthur Show shares the thread.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The Outsider based on a true story?
The Outsider is a fictional film directed by Martin Zandvliet. It depicts a narrative about a former American G.I. who joins a yakuza family in post-World War II Osaka. There is no official record of this specific story being based on actual historical events or real individuals.
What is the setting of The Outsider?
The Outsider is set in Osaka, Japan, during the period immediately following World War II. The plot follows an American G.I. who is released from prison and becomes integrated into the local yakuza criminal underworld during this specific era of reconstruction and social upheaval in Japan.
Does The Outsider feature a protagonist who was in the military?
Yes, the protagonist of The Outsider is a former American G.I. After his release from prison in post-World War II Osaka, he seeks to navigate the complex social structure of the yakuza, eventually joining a family within that organization as part of the film's central storyline.
How does the plot of The Outsider begin?
The Outsider begins with the release of a former American G.I. from a Japanese prison after World War II. Following his release, he enters the criminal world of Osaka and begins his journey toward becoming a member of a yakuza family within the local organized crime hierarchy.