A great thriller is like going to therapy. You suffer through some dark situations alongside characters who have no idea why they're dealing with them. You rack your brain trying to unravel what's happening. And when all is solved, the relief you feel is unmatched, and you might even learn something about yourself along the way.
Japanese thrillers excel at this in a distinct way, blending psychological unease, moral ambiguity and quiet dread rather than relying solely on shock or spectacle. These stories often linger, asking uncomfortable questions about identity, survival, and the choices people make when pushed to their limits.
Netflix’s catalog of Japanese thrillers is full of series that make you feel just like that. While some of the shows have broken through to international fame, others are a bit overlooked and underappreciated. We dug through what’s available to spotlight standout Japanese thriller shows streaming on Netflix that deserve more attention.
'Alice in Borderland'
Arisu (Kento Yamazaki) aimlessly drifts through life with no real future in sight. One night, he and his friends Karube (Keita Machida) and Chota (Yuki Morinaga) find themselves transported to a strange, deserted version of Tokyo known only as the Borderland. They soon realize that they're now trapped in a survival game that forces them to compete in sadistic challenges that end up killing the losers.
Arisu and friends have to make uneasy alliances with their new acquaintances as they play more games to earn the ability to live another day. But more importantly, he has to figure out why he's been brought to the Borderland and what's going to happen if he can't find a way to leave. And the stakes keep on getting higher.
Watch "Alice in Borderland" on Netflix now
'Re:Mind'
Eleven high school girls from the same class wake up locked inside a strange room, seated around a table with no memory of how they got there. With no clear way out and no explanation for why they're there, pressure mounts as the girls try to unravel the mystery. They soon realize that the reason they're all there is related to something from their interconnected pasts, but what, exactly?
Things get even weirder as the girls are forced into some dire tests that reveal more of the truth behind their situation. They're not only made to confront some particularly difficult individual truths, but also participate in cruel tasks that end up revealing they aren't nearly as innocent as they seemed at the beginning.
Watch "Re:Mind" on Netflix now
'Tokyo Swindlers'
Real estate agent Takumi Tsujimoto (Go Ayano) finds himself pulled into Tokyo’s seedy world of fraud after getting mixed up with con artists known as "jimenshi". They pose as legitimate property owners to illegally sell high-value land to developers, only to mislead them out of tons of cash. Led by the ruthless Harrison Yamanaka (Etsushi Toyokawa), the group uses forged documents, insider knowledge, and deceptive practices to make millions.
Takumi becomes a successful swindler using the same tactics but soon attracts the attention of the police and rival groups. Soon, he finds himself faced with some impossible schemes that will force him to question whether he's gone too deep in an industry that will chew him up and spit him out. And soon, there will be no way to go back to normal.
Watch "Tokyo Swindlers" on Netflix now
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