A South Korean BL (boys love) web novel titled A Mad Dog Catches the Tiger (unofficial translation) got embroiled in controversy and ultimately suspended from digital publishing platform Ridibooks due to some very unusual circumstances. As reported by Insight, the adult (19+ rated) novel drew criticism soon after it was published on October 24, due to one of its protagonists “closely resembling” famous League of Legends esports champion Lee Sang-hyeok, known as Faker. The similarities seem to lie in biographical details rather than looks. The author has denied intent and apologized multiple times.
The character in question, “Tiger” is described as a legendary player who has won five championship victories (something Korean netizens argue only Faker has achieved in the League of Legends esports scene). Additionally, the character seems to have a nickname in the story that people think is too evocative of Faker’s nickname “Unkillable Demon King.”
The overall storyline also fueled criticism, as the protagonist succeeds in achieving two consecutive championship victories, fails a “three-peat” attempt, and then ten years later attempts the three-peat again and succeeds. People found this to resemble the timeline of Faker’s career too closely, as he achieved a repeat victory in 2015 and 2016, failed the three-peat in 2017, then won back-to-back titles in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Additionally, the esports team in the novel is described as suffering a disastrous defeat due to the protagonist’s absence. This detail is supposedly evocative of the poor performance of Faker’s team after his wrist injury in 2023.
Due to these similarities – combined with the fact that the web novel contains sexual depictions of the characters – A Mad Dog Catches the Tiger ended up causing an outrage. According to Koreaboo, the author initially explained that the similarities were coincidental, and the novel was entirely fictional, but later issued a formal apology addressed to Faker and fans. The title is currently delisted and cannot be viewed or purchased.
