The black outline seems to muddy the edges. I tried it but it didn't look very good. I think I will just remove the white checkerboard pattern and keep the white outline.

I think a black outline fits him better. I was planning on saying that in your topic but I did not.

At the moment, the background is bright, and the outline is bright. That is why it does not really have a purpose now.
If you make the outline black, the image will really jump out of the image and will not merge as much with the background as it does now!