Summary
Fans of theIsekai and Magic School genresfound quite a great read inThe Extra’s Academy Survival Guide. With endearing characters and a protagonist who doesn’t know when to give up, this series about a fan of visual novel RPGs returning as the villain of the game has become popular fast.
Fans of this kind of manhwa are looking for similar stories to read while they wait for the official translation to be published. In this list, they’ll find a lot of similar manhwa, with a lot of tropes in common, similar settings, worldbuilding, and protagonists. Let’s take a look at them.
Updated January 22nd, 2025, by Lucas Simons:With the resurgence of the Fantasy genre, manhwa of all shapes and colors have been starting anew. Thanks to a new wave of official translations being released, we can add two more titles that are slightly similar to The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide, but with their own unique worldbuilding and relatable characters. One is Summoners Academy, part of the Summoners Wars universe, and the other is Eleceed which is quickly rising in popularity and has begun to work its way up to the top rankings. Meanwhile, some of the titles on the list have suffered significant changes. I Regressed As The Duke has ended, and Infinite Mage has kickstarted its second season at full speed, with a new and mysterious entity lurking around the Academy and endangering the students.
12Summoners Academy
Love, Loss, Friendship, And Academy Life
This spin-off story of the popular Korean gameSummoners Warsnarrates the tale of four misfits trying to survive the machinations of Renée Academy’s evil headmaster, while also attempting to become respectable magicians.Summoners Academyis filled to the brim with action, dark twists, lots of cool battle scenes, and some little bits of romance here and there.
It is ideal for those who enjoyed the pacing ofThe Extra’s Academy Survival Guide,and it has a very similar art style: colorful, detailed, and full of cool fantastical creatures. Its worldbuilding is also worth mentioning, since the background story of all the characters and the events happening in the academy align perfectly with the setting.
11Eleceed
An Underdog Protagonist Becomes The Best Disciple
Underdogs rising to poweris a popular trope nowadays, and inThe Extra’s Academy Survival Guide,fans have a protagonist that is the very personification of an underdog.Eleceedis another good example of a meek and weak protagonist who is suddenly thrown into a whirlwind of action and people with superpowers.
Jiwoo’s journey aligns perfectly with the typical hero’s journey; from commonplace to the world’s best through pure force of will and hardcore effort. Though the setting is more urban fantasy than sword & sorcery, the art quality and storytelling are significantly superior, and the pacing will surely attract those who enjoyed Ed Rothstaylor’s adventures.
10A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special
A Story About School, Magic, And Reincarnation
This manhwa tells thestory of Desir Arman and his friendsat Hebrion Academy as they go through Battlemage training to become soldiers in a war against the mysterious Outers. Desir has been reborn, and he retains all his memories from his past life, so he will do whatever it takes to prevent that bleak future from becoming a reality.
In that sense, the two series are similar. The main character fromThe Extra’s Academy Survival Guidealso knows the outcome of every scenario beforehand, and he’s doing his best to prevent the worst from happening.
9Lout Of The Count’s Family
Trapped In A Novel, Knowing The Outcome
A fan of a certain novel is sent to the world inside the book to live as Cain Henituse, theLout of The Count’s Family. The two series are similar, since the main characters know the outcomes and where all the “cool items” are hidden.
They take advantage of this to get powerful, despite being naturally weak. Another point in common both series have is their take on Spirit Summoning.
8The Beginning After The End
Reincarnated In A World Of Sword And Sorcery
The Beginning After The Endnarrates the tale of a former king who won all wars, and was betrayed in the end. Then he got sent into a sword and sorcery world.TBATEis one of the favorites of fans of high fantasy manhwa.
It is quite similar toThe Extra’s Academy Survival Guide.The setting, the worldbuilding, and even the art follow similar standards. There’s also a lot of the Academy of Magic trope in both series. Another point of comparison is their similar scenario design.
7Magic Academy’s Genius Blinker
Perhaps The Most Similar Series
Magic Academy’s Genius BlinkerandThe Extra’s Academy Survival Guideare quite similar in many aspects. Except for the “reincarnated as a Villain trope,” they essentially share the same overall setting.
A person from our world is sent into an RPG game, which is also connected with a visual novel. The game has a lot of bad endings depending on the characters' choices. Plus, both protagonists have reincarnated as the “trash character” of the series.
6I Regressed As The Duke
A Few Points In Common, Especially The Reincarnation Trope
I Regressed As The Dukehas a lot of similarities withThe Extra’s Academy Survival Guide.It deals with the same topic of reincarnation in a piece of media as the “villain” or the “disposable character” of the story.
The main difference is thatI Regressed As The Dukedoesn’t use the magic academy trope. Instead, it featuresa lot of political conspiraciesand territory management. There are also a lot of flashy combat scenes and a hardcore magic system, where magic has a heavy price.I Regressed As The Dukehas concluded after three seasons, so if readers are looking for a story that has a clear ending, then this is the one.
5Infinite Mage
The Same Magic Academy Tropes
Academy life, school drama, powerful spells — all these are things that both series have in common. Their common ground is just one aspect that makesInfinite Magepart of this list. There are also a lot of similar tropes, like “the power of friendship” and a “weak MC” that turns out to be strong thanks to his relentless attitude in proving that he isworthy of being part of the magic world.
Infinite Magehas wrapped up season 1 with an epic closure, and begun season 2 with an even more exciting arc. The headmaster faces trial after the events that endangered the lives of all students, while Shirone tries to uncover the mystery of his miraculous resurrection. Life at the Academy will never be the same.
4The Great Mage Of The Hero’s Party Reincarnates
The Protagonists Share A Similar Vision Of Life
The Great Mage Of The Hero’s Party Reincarnatesnarrates the story of the former Sage from the Hero’s party who, after the battle with the Demon Lord, is thrown into a magic-induced coma. His body remains untouched for years, but his soul suddenly reincarnates in the body of a young noble.
As such, he has to attend the Magic Academy again and relive his school years alongside a lot of quirky characters who become his friends. The manhwa has a lot of tropes in common withThe Extra’s Academy Survival Guide, making it a good read for fans of the latter.
3I Really Don’t Want To Learn Forbidden Spells
A Weak Protagonist Becomes Powerful By Working Hard
Ning Feng was always the weakest at the academy, despised by others and shunned. He had a last chance to unlock a powerful Class, and he ended up unlocking a secret one named Dark Lord. It features a similar story toThe Extra’s Academy Survival Guide.
With a dark fantasy setting as well, Academy life tropes abound.I Really Don’t Want To Learn Forbidden Spellsalso has some touches of wuxia and VRMMO-like systems that help the MC to become powerful.
