Colin Young-Wolff/Riot GamesA South Korean “boy love” web novel has been suspended from digital platform Ridibooks after readers accused the author of modeling its main character on League of Legends superstar Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok.
The 19+ novel, ‘A Mad Dog Catches the Tiger’, launched on October 24 and was immediately hit with backlash over claims that one of its protagonists, “Tiger,” mirrored Faker’s real-life career far too closely. While the author denied any intent, Korean esports fans argued that the biographical overlap was impossible to ignore.
Tiger is described as a once-in-a-generation prodigy who debuted at a very young age, won five championship titles, led a dominant team called Critique, and developed a cold, authoritative persona that hides a more childlike, socially inexperienced side.
Web novel pulled for allegedly basing character on Faker
Readers immediately pointed out that Faker debuted at 17, is the only player with five World Championship wins, and is widely known for a similar mix of stoic leadership and awkward innocence.
Fans also noted that Tiger’s fictional nickname reportedly echoes Faker’s iconic moniker “Unkillable Demon King.”
Riot GamesBut what escalated the controversy were plot beats that tracked Faker’s League of Legends career with uncanny precision, minus the sexual scenes involving the characters.
The novel has Tiger win two consecutive championships, fail a three-peat, then return a decade later to finally secure the elusive third title. Faker won Worlds in 2015 and 2016, fell short in 2017, then mounted a historic comeback with titles in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
The novel even depicts Tiger’s team collapsing when he’s sidelined with a wrist injury. In 2023, T1 suffered a brutal slump while Faker took time off to rehab his wrist. When he returned, the team surged straight into a world title.
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As comparisons spread across X and Korean forums, the author doubled down in the novel’s description, insisting it was “entirely fictional with no real-life inspiration.” That only made the situation worse.
Under mounting pressure, the author released a full apology, acknowledging that the similarities were too specific to dismiss. She insisted she never intended to reference Faker but admitted her review process was “short-sighted” and promised to revise problematic elements.
Ridibooks has since pulled the title, displaying a notice that it has been temporarily suspended at the request of the publisher or copyright holder.
Riot GamesMeanwhile, Faker continues to add to his real-life storyline. He won yet another World Championship with T1 in 2025, extending his GOAT legacy and even drawing the attention of Elon Musk. The Tesla and X owner publicly challenged T1 to take on his Grok AI in a Kasparov-vs-Deep-Blue-style showdown.
T1 accepted, and Riot Games co-founder Marc Merrill has expressed interest in helping elevate the match, potentially setting the stage for one of the biggest exhibition events in esports history.