Malphas

For the Lords of Shadow boss, see Crow Witch Malphas.

Malphas
Malphas as he appears in Dawn of Sorrow.
Japanese name(s)	マルファス Marufasu フェザーデーモン Fezādēmon (Feather Demon)
Alternate name(s)	Feather Demon Karasuman
Abilities	Flight Releases flocks of crows Shoots razor-sharp feathers Unleashes electrical spheres
Type(s)	Demon
Origins	Ars Goetia Dictionnaire Infernal Japanese mythology
Appearances	Symphony of the Night Harmony of Dissonance Aria of Sorrow Dawn of Sorrow Portrait of Ruin Encore of the Night Grimoire of Souls

Malphas, also known as Karasuman or Feather Demon, is an enemy in the Castlevania series. He is a black demon with gold adornments that is accompanied by crows.

Origins

A colored version of Louis Le Breton's original illustration of Malphas, from the Dictionnaire Infernal.

Malphas is described in the Ars Goetia as a mighty "Great Prince of Hell", commanding forty legions of demons and being second in command under Satan. He appears as a raven, but if requested, will instead resemble a man with a hoarse voice.

Statue of a karasu-tengu from the late Edo period.

Malphas specializes in the construction of houses, high towers and strongholds, throws down the buildings of enemies, can destroy enemies' desires or thoughts (and/or make them known to the conjurer) and all what they have done, bestows good familiars, and can bring quickly artificers together from all places of the world.

Malphas accepts willingly and kindly any sacrifice offered to him, but then he will allegedly attempt to deceive his conjurer, so he must be treated carefully.

The Castlevania character may also be partially based on the Japanese legendary creatures known as the karasu-tengu (crow tengu). Tengu were in some parts revered as Shinto gods, other times depicted as demons or simply as supernatural beings traditionally portrayed with both human and avian characteristics. The earliest tengu were pictured with beaks –similar to Malphas bird's skull-shaped mask from the games–, but this feature has often been humanized as an unnaturally long nose.

Description

Malphas is a crow demon inspired by both Christian and Japanese mythology. He was introduced into the series as a boss in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and has since appeared in following titles either as a powerful, yet lesser enemy, or retaking his place as a boss.

He tends to flap his wings and ascend in the air, gathering energy as he does so. He then releases an attack which can consist of razor-sharp feathers, a barrage of crows, or dark energy emitted from his body.

Appearances

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Malphas was introduced into the series in this game under the name of Karasuman ("crow man") in the American version, likely to avoid religious controversy (note that Biphron, Ukoback and Legion also had different names, although Beelzebub remained unchanged). He is the boss of the Clock Tower and fights in the same room where Richter Belmont faced Shaft Ghost in Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. Several Malphases appear as regular enemies later in Death Wing's Lair.

Malphas fights in three ways. After unfolding his wings on the ground, he will draw the essences of many demon crows inside him and unleash them in a massive wave. His second attack consists in taking flight and releasing a multitude of razor-sharp feathers in a spreading manner. Malphas can also fire energy spheres, although this attack is not seen as often. However, he is slow to attack and easy to knock off balance.

No. Name JPN Level HP 87 Karasuman マルファス Marufasu 22 500 Strong Immune Weak Absorb EXP Dark - - - 1,000 Location Drop Guard Clock Tower, Death Wing's Lair Resist Dark, Ring of Feanor Life Vessel Description "Demon Lord of Ravens."

Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance

In Harmony of Dissonance, there is a remarkably similar enemy called the Feather Demon. It does not use Malphas's raven attack, but is obviously the same type of creature, only redone for the sake of the Game Boy Advance's system limitations.

No. Name JPN Lv. HP 52 Feather Demon フェザーデーモン Fezādēmon 23 272 Tolerance Weakness Common Drop Rare Drop EXP - - Barbuta Ramail Coat 150 Location (Castle A) Location (Castle B) Castle Treasury, Clock Tower Castle Treasury, Entrance

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow

While not physically appearing in the game, Malphas is referenced in Aria of Sorrow in the form of an ability soul contained within a Soul-Keeper found after defeating the Great Armor in the Study, granting Soma Cruz the Double Jump ability.

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow

Malphas makes a proper return as a boss in Dawn of Sorrow in the Dark Chapel, where he guards the Double Jump ability (a nod to Aria of Sorrow).

Malphas is the only boss aside from Menace that does not appear in Boss Rush Mode.

No. Name JPN HP MP ATK 104 Malphas マルファス Marufasu 1,200 800 52 Tolerance Weakness Time Stop (unaffected) Holy Location Common Drop Rare Drop Soul EXP The Dark Chapel - - Double Jump 1,500 Description "A black demon that is accompanied by crows."

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin

Several Malphases appear as ordinary enemies in the later areas of Portrait of Ruin. As usual, they are initially found standing on the ground and won't attack until approached. A quick cast of 1,000 Blades while in this state is enough to put them out of commission without even giving them a chance to fight back.

No. Name JPN HP 82 Malphas マルファス Marufasu 666 Tolerance Weakness - Fire, Holy Location Common Drop Rare Drop EXP SP Dark Academy, 13th Street, Nest of Evil - - 573 12 Description "A black demon that is accompanied by crows."

Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night

Name Title HP EXP Karasuman - 950 +1 Level Drop Steal Location - 32S Clock Tower List of Spells Skill Cost Effect - - - - - -

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

Main article: Crow Witch Malphas

The Crow Witch Malphas appears in Lords of Shadow as a boss with a backstory.

Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls

Enemy Data: Grimoire of Souls
Image	Name - Game Description	Statistics	Items	Location	Notes
	Malphas  - Grimoire of Souls				[ edit ]
	A demon accompanied by crows. It fires magic torrents to mow down everything in its way.				Abil: Curse

Other appearances

Castlevania (animated series)

Malphas appears in the second season in the episode "The River", as one of the monsters that attack the Belmont Treasure Hold. Malphas gives a challenging fight to Trevor before he stabs the creature though the skull with a sharpened stick.

This depiction of Malphas appears to be based on Crow Witch Malphas from Castlevania: Lords of Shadow.

Item Data

Item Data: Malphas
Image	Name - Game   Type - Users Description	Attributes / Consume	Statistics / Sell	Found	Notes
	Life Vessel [alt] - Symphony of the Night   Item (standard) - any				[edit]
	Increases the player's maximum HP (life) capacity.		Maximum HP +5 (Alucard); maximum HP +10 (Richter and Maria)	Find: Found throughout the castle, often in containers Drop: Most bosses	Effect: Restores all life and increases Max HP
	Resist Dark (jpn) - Symphony of the Night   Medicine (Attribute Potion) - Alucard				[edit]
	Resistance to darkness [use]	Attrib: Dark		Find: Black Marble Gallery, Castle Keep, Necromancy Laboratory Drop: Karasuman, Phantom Skull	Effect: Temporarily cuts Dark damage by half
	Ring of Feanor (Master Ring) - Symphony of the Night   Other (Ring) - Alucard				[edit]
	Increases overall strength		STR +7, ATT +1, CON +7, DEF +1, INT +7, LCK +2	Drop: Karasuman
	Barbuta - Harmony of Dissonance   Head - Juste Belmont				[edit]
	A helmet with an attached face guard.		DEF +13	Common Drop: Feather Demon
	Ramail Coat (jpn) - Harmony of Dissonance   Body - Juste Belmont				[edit]
	It appears to be a normal coat, but metal has been woven into it.		DEF +29, INT +7	Buy: 1,005G Find: Merchant's shop (Clock Tower A and B, Castle Top Floor A and B) Rare Drop: Feather Demon
	Malphas - Double Jump - Aria of Sorrow   Ability Soul - Soma				[edit]
	Jump again in mid-jump. (While in mid-jump, you can jump again.)			Find: Study
	Malphas - Double Jump - Dawn of Sorrow   Ability Soul - Soma				[edit]
	Execute Double jump.	Attrib: Bashing (Jump Kick)		Rarity: Always get the soul. Drop: Malphas

Notes

• In most of Malphas's game appearances, if he sustains enough damage in a short period of time, he'll flinch –canceling his current attack or movement– and be forced to land.

Gallery

Artworks

Malphas in the official Koma comic strips of Dawn of Sorrow.

Malphas model from the Castlevania animated series.

Screenshots

Karasuman enemy list entry from The Dracula X Chronicles version of Symphony of the Night.

Feather Demon enemy list entry from Harmony of Dissonance.

Malphas from Dawn of Sorrow.

Malphas in the Castlevania animated series.

Without his mask.

Animations

Karasuman sharp feathers attack from Symphony of the Night.

Karasuman flocks of crows attack from Symphony of the Night.

Karasuman electrical spheres attack from Symphony of the Night.

Trivia

• Malphas can perform a similar attack to the Holy Lightning spell performed by members of the Belnades Clan. At some point while fighting him, he will hover in the air and slowly build up energy; after enough has been gathered, he'll proceed to release four large electrical spheres which travel in an arcing pattern with slight homing capabilities.
• The name "Karasuman" is a blend of the Japanese word karasu (カラス), meaning "crow", and the English word "man"; roughly translating as "Crowman".
• In Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, Malphas has 666 HP, referencing the number of the beast.
  • In addition, he yields 573 EXP in the same game, which is actually an in-joke Konami uses in many of its games: "5" in Japanese is go, changed to the voiceless form ko; "7" in Japanese is nana, shortened to na; "3" in Japanese is mittsu, shortened to mi; this allows the number to be read as "Konami".
• Within the debug mode of Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance, the creature's name is listed as is Gachaman, a reference to Science Ninja Team Gatchaman. Furthermore, the creature's color scheme bears a resemblance to the costume worn by Ken the Eagle.

See also

• Crow Witch Malphas
• Raven

External links

• Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin - Bestiary by Darth Nemesis at GameFAQs
• Mr. P's Castlevania Realm
• The Castlevania Dungeon