If you want manhwa like I Killed the Main Player, start with The Extra's Academy Survival Guide. It's drawn by the same studio, Green Kyrin, it also puts a minor game character in an academy story, and it's the first answer readers give when someone asks for more like Corin. The other five picks below each match one part of the premise: the side character in the lead, the single jump back in time, or knowledge doing the work that power can't.
| Pick | What it shares | Our score | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Extra's Academy Survival Guide | Minor game character, academy, same studio | 8.2 | Ongoing |
| Lout of Count's Family | Wakes up as a doomed minor villain | 7.5 | Ongoing, Tapas hiatus |
| SSS-Class Revival Hunter | Weak hunter out-thinks stronger ones | 7.5 | Ongoing, Tapas hiatus |
| Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint | Only he knows how the story ends | 9.2 | Paused, will return |
| A Returner's Magic Should Be Special | One jump back, thirteen years | 7.0 | Finished, 268 chapters |
| Return of the Blossoming Blade | Wakes a century later, rebuilds his sect | 9.1 | Ongoing |
In print: Ize Press, a Yen Press imprint, prints SSS-Class Revival Hunter in paperback volumes, so it stays readable in English after Tapas closes.
What Makes I Killed the Main Player Specific
Corin is a minor NPC in his favorite game, and he knows it inside out. He helps the main player, Sihu, until he finds out Sihu has been murdering innocent NPCs and stealing their items. Then Sihu fails the last mission, Corin is thrown three years back in time, and he decides to kill Sihu and take on the role himself: beat the final boss and save the world.
So there are three things to chase: a side character in the lead, one jump back with no loop, and game knowledge doing the work. Readers like Corin for a fourth reason too. When one asked r/manhwa for leads like him, they described him as "Heart of gold, with a some mischief but essentially does everything in his power so everyone is alive and happy."
Advertisement
For the Side Character in the Lead
The Extra's Academy Survival Guide
The Extra's Academy Survival Guide. © Korita (original story), Green Kyrin. Via AniList.
Ed Rothstaylor is a third-rate villain in a game, disowned by his family and thrown out of the dorm. The man who wakes up as Ed just wants to earn a scholarship, graduate and stay away from the protagonists. He ends up living in the woods, four of the female leads won't leave him alone, and his presence starts changing the game's timeline.
It's the same studio as I Killed the Main Player: AniList credits Green Kyrin with story and art on both, adapting Korita's novel here. When a reader asked for more leads like Corin, the top reply was simply "The extra's academy survival guide." In a separate opinions thread, one reader put it more bluntly: "Not nearly as good as An Extra's Academy Survival Guide, but it has its good parts."
*Green Kyrin's official Season 2 teaser PV for The Extra's Academy Survival Guide (YouTube, Korean).*We gave it 8.2 in our The Extra's Academy Survival Guide review. It's ongoing on WEBTOON, which posts a new episode every Monday; on October 24, 2026 the five newest episodes were app-only.
Lout of Count's Family
Lout of Count's Family. © Ryeo-Han Yu (original story), Byeollarae, PAN4. Via AniList.
Kim Rok-Su's motto is "Let's not get beat up." He falls asleep partway through a novel and wakes up as Cale Henituse, a minor villain who's due a beating from the future hero, Choi Han. Like Corin, he knows the story better than the people living it. Unlike Corin, his goal is a long, lavish life, so the tone is lighter.
We scored it 7.5 in our Lout of Count's Family review. Tapas lists 173 episodes and says Season 4 has closed, with a hiatus before Season 5.
For Knowledge Over Raw Power
SSS-Class Revival Hunter
SSS-Class Revival Hunter. © No-A Sin (original story), Neida, Bill K. Via AniList.
Kim Gong-ja is a below-average hunter whose skill copies the power of whoever kills him. His first death, at the hands of the #1 hunter, gives him the ability to go back in time whenever he dies. He's rarely the strongest person in the room, so every fight is a plan, which is the closest match here to Corin out-thinking someone who could beat him straight up.
It's a 7.5 in our SSS-Class Revival Hunter review. Tapas posted chapter 151 and then announced a hiatus before Season 5.
Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint
Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint. © Singsyong (original story), UMI, Sleepy-C. Via AniList.
Dokja's favorite web novel comes true, and he's the only person who knows how it ends. That's Corin's advantage on a much bigger stage: knowing the plot inside a world that doesn't know you know it.
It's our highest score on this list, 9.2, in the Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint review. WEBTOON's latest English episode is 308, with a note that the series will return.
For One Jump Back, No Loop
A Returner's Magic Should Be Special
A Returner's Magic Should Be Special. © Usonan (original story), Wookjakga. Via AniList.
Desir Herrman is one of the last six mages standing when the Shadow Realms wipe out humanity. He closes his eyes at the end and opens them thirteen years earlier, at the start of his school days. Like Corin, he gets one jump and a head full of the future.
We gave it 7.0 in our A Returner's Magic Should Be Special review. It's the only finished pick here, at 268 chapters.
Return of the Blossoming Blade
Return of the Blossoming Blade. © Biga (original story), LICO. Via AniList.
Cheong-Myeong of the Mount Hua Sect dies after killing the Demonic Cult's leader and wakes a hundred years later. It's a time jump rather than a regression, but the shape is close to Corin's: one trip, and the knowledge he carries is the edge he has over everyone around him.
It's a 9.1 in our Return of the Blossoming Blade review, and it's ongoing on WEBTOON every Wednesday.
Our Take
Advertisement
Start with The Extra's Academy Survival Guide. It's the closest thing to I Killed the Main Player there is, and if you felt Corin's story repeated itself, a lot of readers think it's the stronger series. If what you liked was Corin being the smartest person in a fight he shouldn't win, go to SSS-Class Revival Hunter. And if you just want something finished, A Returner's Magic Should Be Special is the one to binge.
For the wider genre, see our Best System Fantasy Manhwa list.
Frequently Asked Questions
What manhwa is most similar to I Killed the Main Player? The Extra's Academy Survival Guide. Both are drawn by Green Kyrin, both drop a minor game character into an academy story, and it's the series r/manhwa readers name first when someone asks for more like Corin.
Which manhwa like I Killed the Main Player are finished? Only A Returner's Magic Should Be Special, which finished at 268 chapters. The other five are ongoing; SSS-Class Revival Hunter and Lout of Count's Family are on hiatus between seasons on Tapas.
What makes I Killed the Main Player different from other regression manhwa? Corin isn't the hero. He's a minor NPC who watched the main player, Sihu, murder other NPCs, then got sent three years back and decided to kill Sihu and take his role.
Tapas is scheduled to end its service on March 31, 2027; see what we know about the shutdown.
Related Reading
- I Killed the Main Player Review: our full verdict on the series.
- I Killed the Main Player Reading Guide: where to start and where to read.
- Best Regression Manhwa 2026: the wider field of regression stories.
