Is Advanced Exorcist Strikes Back! Worth Reading? Review & Where to Read

Quick facts
Format	Manhua, 21 volumes
Run	ongoing
Content	Violence, horror elements
Where to read	Tapas — official

Overview

Chengfeng Jiang didn't believe in ghosts, demons, or anything supernatural — until a bizarre accident left him with the ability to see and fight all of it. Suddenly capable of taking on evil spirits and demons that most people can't even perceive, he gets pulled into increasingly dangerous cases at the world's most ominous locations. Between missions, he also has to navigate the politics of other exorcist factions, as a much larger conspiracy slowly comes into focus behind the ghost-of-the-week fights.

What it does well

The premise's biggest strength is Chengfeng himself. He isn't an eager chosen one thrilled to discover hidden powers — he's a skeptic who got dragged into this against his will, and that reluctance gives the story a more grounded, relatable entry point than most supernatural-action leads get. Watching someone who didn't believe in any of this have to adapt fast gives the early missions real tension.

The episodic structure suits the format well. Each haunted location or supernatural case functions as a self-contained story, which keeps the weekly serialization feeling complete chapter to chapter rather than constantly cutting off mid-thought. Underneath that, the larger conspiracy involving rival exorcist factions gives the individual missions something to build toward, so the story isn't purely disconnected fights — there's a bigger picture slowly assembling for readers willing to stick with it.

The full-color art also commits to real horror atmosphere in its haunted settings, not just staging demon fights for spectacle. That atmospheric commitment helps sell the supernatural stakes even in a story that's ultimately more action-focused than horror-focused.

Where it falls short

Past 200 episodes, the monster-of-the-week structure inevitably runs into some formula fatigue — even with the wider conspiracy developing underneath, individual arcs can feel like variations on a familiar shape rather than genuinely surprising each time.

The rival exorcist factions introduced along the way don't always get much to distinguish them beyond their function in a given arc, which can make the wider cast feel thinner than the central Chengfeng-focused chapters. And while the horror atmosphere is real, the scares themselves stay largely surface-level and action-adjacent rather than delivering the kind of dread horror fans specifically look for.

Verdict

Advanced Exorcist Strikes Back! gets real mileage out of a skeptical, reluctant lead forced into a world of ghosts and demons, and its episodic structure works well for a long-running weekly series. It's more comfortable as action-adventure with horror trimmings than as genuine horror, but for readers who want that combination with a real conspiracy simmering underneath, it delivers a solid, ongoing ride.