The closest manhwa like A Returner's Magic Should Be Special is The Beginning After the End: a hero sent back with a lifetime of knowledge, a magic academy, and friends who matter as much as he does. What ARMS readers usually want more of is that last part. In Tapas's summary, Desir is sent back 13 years from the end of the world and "sees an opportunity to train his friends." One r/manhwa reader asked for exactly that: a story "where the Mc used his vast knowledge to help make his allies also strong and overpowered." The eight picks below are ranked by how much of that they deliver.
Recent updates:
- October 31, 2026: The Extra's Academy Survival Guide entry said it was free on WEBTOON except the newest episodes, with no date. We checked its WEBTOON page again: the website lists the prologue through Episode 118, and the next five episodes are app-only. The entry now gives those numbers and the date.
- October 16, 2026: Full fact check of all eight picks. Fixed: SSS-Class Revival Hunter's hero is Confucius Kim, not "Jinwoo Kim"; The Beginning After the End is on Tapas, not WEBTOON; The Extra's Academy Survival Guide's Ed is a villain in a game, not "an office worker" in a novel; Second Life Ranker and Level Up with the Gods are on hiatus between seasons, not "Season 4 active"; Damn Reincarnation has no academy and is on Tapas as My Blasted Reincarnated Life. Season 2 of the ARMS anime has now premiered.
- October 16, 2026 (earlier): The Extra's Academy Survival Guide entry no longer mentions Daily Pass, which WEBTOON removed in May 2025.
Where ARMS stands
The manhwa is finished: AniList counts 268 chapters, and Tapas lists 269 episodes as a completed series (Tappytoon has it too). Season 2 of the anime premiered on October 7, 2026, on Fuji TV in Japan and on Crunchyroll, and is airing now. If you finished the manhwa unhappy with the ending, you're not alone. One reader said the novel is "much better, with a conclusive ending," and that the manhwa "decided to change a lot of things halfway through."
Crunchyroll's trailer for season 2:
*Crunchyroll's official season 2 trailer (YouTube).*The eight at a glance
| # | Series | What it shares with ARMS | Status | English edition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Beginning After the End | Second life, magic academy, party | Ongoing, 300 Tapas episodes | Tapas, Thursdays |
| 2 | The Academy's Genius Swordsman | Sent back in time, academy | Ongoing, season 2 | WEBTOON, Sundays |
| 3 | Omniscient Reader | Knows how the world ends, builds a team | Hiatus after episode 308 | WEBTOON |
| 4 | The Extra's Academy Survival Guide | Academy, knows the plot | Ongoing, 116 episodes | WEBTOON, Mondays |
| 5 | Second Life Ranker | Inherited knowledge of a tower | Hiatus after season 3, 219 Tapas episodes | Tapas |
| 6 | Level Up with the Gods | Returnee re-climbing a tower | Hiatus after season 3, 169 Tapas episodes | Tapas |
| 7 | SSS-Class Revival Hunter | Time travel on death | Hiatus after season 4, 154 Tapas episodes | Tapas |
| 8 | Damn Reincarnation | Reborn hero training again | 81 Tapas episodes, listed on hiatus | Tapas (as My Blasted Reincarnated Life) |
Statuses checked October 16, 2026. Tapas closes on March 31, 2027 (what that means); Second Life Ranker and Damn Reincarnation have no other official English home listed on AniList; Level Up with the Gods also has a Yen Press print edition.
1. The Beginning After the End
Ongoing: 300 Tapas episodes, Thursdays · Tapas
The closest overall match. Tapas: "King Grey has unrivaled strength, wealth, and prestige in a world governed by martial ability," and is "reincarnated into a new world filled with magic and monsters." Like Desir, Arthur knows more than the people around him and uses it to protect them, and his time at a magic academy is where his circle forms.
Where it differs: It's a reincarnation from birth, not a jump back in time, so the opening spends a long while on his childhood. It's also still running, so it won't scratch the itch of a finished story. Two anime seasons are on Crunchyroll.
2. The Academy's Genius Swordsman
The Academy's Genius Swordsman Korean cover. © Sichi, Seo Gwan-do. Via AniList.
Ongoing: season 2, up every Sunday · WEBTOON
The same setup with a sword instead of a spellbook. WEBTOON's summary: after a war against giants, Ronan is the last man standing, and his dying commander, Grand Marshal Adeshan, "uses her last time slip to send him back to the past, so that he can enroll in the prestigious Phileon Academy." A veteran sent back to school to stop an apocalypse is as close to ARMS's premise as anything on this list.
Where it differs: Ronan is a swordsman who fights up front, so there's less of Desir's spell-by-spell planning.
3. Omniscient Reader
Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint Korean volume 1 cover. © UMI, Sleepy-C, singNsong. Via AniList.
Hiatus: last episode 308, June 1, 2026 · WEBTOON
The deepest take on knowing how it ends. WEBTOON: Dokja's "sole interest was reading his favorite web novel 'Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse,'" and when it becomes real "he is the only person who knows how the world will end." Like Desir, he spends that knowledge on the people around him as much as on himself. Our Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint review covers why it's one of the best in the genre.
Where it differs: No academy. And it's paused: WEBTOON's last episode is 308, from June 1, 2026, with the note "Omniscient Reader will return!"
4. The Extra's Academy Survival Guide
The Extra's Academy Survival Guide Korean cover. © Green Kyrin, Korita. Via AniList.
Ongoing: Episode 118 on the website, up every Monday · WEBTOON
The academy pick with a lighter touch. WEBTOON: "Ed Rothstaylor is a third-rate villain in a game, disowned by his family and kicked out of the dormitory." The hero wakes up as Ed, knows how the game goes, and tries to stay out of the main cast's way, but "his presence starts to change the timeline and events of the game." When we checked on October 31, 2026, WEBTOON's website listed the prologue through Episode 118 (October 25), and the first and latest of those opened without an account. The next five episodes were app-only. WEBTOON's help center says Fast Pass episodes, which come out ahead of the regular release date on certain series, unlock with Coins.
Where it differs: It's funnier than ARMS, and Ed is trying to survive, not to save the world.
5. Second Life Ranker
Second Life Ranker Korean cover. © Nong Nong, Sa Do-yeon. Via AniList.
Hiatus after season 3: 219 Tapas episodes · Tapas
Knowledge handed down, not lived. Tapas: Yeonwoo learns his missing brother "was betrayed while competing in the Tower of the Sun God," and "now it's Yeonwoo's turn to use the knowledge his brother left behind." He walks into the Tower with information nobody else has, which gives the same plan-ahead feel as ARMS. Our Second Life Ranker review has the rating.
Where it differs: It's colder. Yeonwoo is out for revenge, not building a team of friends. Tapas posted on April 10, 2026 that season 3 has ended, and the series is on a break before season 4.
6. Level Up with the Gods
Level Up with the Gods Korean cover. © O-Hyeon, Heugain. Via AniList.
Hiatus after season 3: 169 Tapas episodes · Tapas
A returnee climbing a tower a second time. Tapas: after "a bitter defeat," Yuwon Kim "starts back from where he began, smashing monster after monster and relearning his skills before taking on the Tower once again." Gods from world mythology are part of the cast, which gives the second run its own flavor.
Where it differs: There's no school, and it's a tower climb. Tapas posted on June 26, 2026 that season 3 is over.
7. SSS-Class Revival Hunter
SSS-Class Revival Hunter Korean volume 1 cover. © Bill K, Neida, Sin No-a. Via AniList.
Hiatus after season 4: 154 Tapas episodes · Tapas
Regression as a skill. Tapas: Confucius Kim gets "a legendary skill to copy others' abilities… at the cost of his life," is killed by the top hunter, and copies "the ability to travel back in time upon death." Every death is a lesson he carries into the next attempt. Our SSS-Class Revival Hunter review has the full verdict.
Where it differs: It's a solo story about one man's trial and error, not a party. Tapas posted on February 27, 2026 that season 4 is over and season 5 is coming.
8. Damn Reincarnation
Damn Reincarnation Korean cover. © Park Jeong-yeol, Kiki, Mokma. Via AniList.
81 Tapas episodes, listed on hiatus · Tapas (as My Blasted Reincarnated Life)
A hero reborn to finish the job. Tapas: the warrior Hamel dies protecting his rival, then is "reincarnated with his memories 300 years later" as Eugene Lionhart, "a member of his former rival's bloodline," and must train to "eliminate the remaining demon kings once and for all." It's the past-life-master-trains-again story told with a lot of attitude. Search Tapas for its English title, My Blasted Reincarnated Life. The Damn Reincarnation reading guide has the details.
Where it differs: No academy, and Eugene has no future to prevent, only an old war to finish.
Our take
If you want the party-builder feeling, read The Beginning After the End. If you want a veteran sent back to school, read The Academy's Genius Swordsman, which is still running weekly. Omniscient Reader is the best story on this list, but it's on hiatus, so it's a good one to start now and catch up on. Four of the eight are paused between seasons on Tapas, so if you want something you can read continuously, stick to the WEBTOON picks.
Related Reading
- A Returner's Magic Should Be Special Review: our verdict on the finished manhwa.
- A Returner's Magic Should Be Special Reading Guide: where to start and where to read.
- A Returner's Magic Season 2: the anime's second season.
- The Beginning After the End Review: the closest match, reviewed.
- The Extra's Academy Survival Guide Review: the comic academy pick.
References
- A Returner's Magic Should Be Special on Tapas
- A Returner's Magic Should Be Special on Tappytoon
- A Returner's Magic Should Be Special anime official site (Japanese)
- The Beginning After the End on Tapas
- The Academy's Genius Swordsman on WEBTOON
- Omniscient Reader on WEBTOON
- The Extra's Academy Survival Guide on WEBTOON
- Second Life Ranker on Tapas
- Level Up with the Gods on Tapas
- SSS-Class Revival Hunter on Tapas
- My Blasted Reincarnated Life (Damn Reincarnation) on Tapas
- A Returner's Magic Should Be Special on AniList
