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

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[]

Dictionnaire Infernal - 42 - Malphas - 01

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.

Karasu-Tengu - 01

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.

Karasuman
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.

Featherdemon
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.

Malphas
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.

Malphas
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
GoS Malphas 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 Icon 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 Icon 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 Icon 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 Icon Barbuta - Harmony of Dissonance
  Head - Juste Belmont
[edit]
A helmet with an attached face guard. DEF +13
Common Drop: Feather Demon
Ramail Coat Icon 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
Silver Souls 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
Ability Soul 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[]

Screenshots[]

Animations[]

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.[1] Furthermore, the creature's color scheme bears a resemblance to the costume worn by Ken the Eagle.

See also[]

External links[]

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Dracula X: Nocturne in the Moonlight
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles (SoN/DXC)
Characters
Protagonists
AlucardMaria Renard (Saturn · DXC)Richter Belmont
Supporting cast
Master LibrarianFerrymanLisa
Antagonists
DraculaDeathShaft
Bosses
Dracula's Castle bosses
Slogra and GaibonDoppleganger Lv. 10HippogryphKarasumanMinotaur and Werewolf
Lesser DemonOlroxSuccubusScyllaCerberusGranfaloonSkeleton Leader (Saturn)
Reverse Castle bosses
Darkwing BatThe CreatureAkmodan IIMedusaFake Trevor, Fake Sypha and Fake Grant
BeelzebubDoppleganger Lv. 40GalamothShaftTrue Dracula
Areas
Dracula's Castle
Final Stage: BloodlinesEntranceAlchemy LaboratoryMarble GalleryOuter WallLong Library
Clock TowerUnderground CavernsRoyal ChapelOlrox's QuartersCastle KeepColosseum
Abandoned Pit to the CatacombCatacombsCastle CenterCursed Prison (Saturn) • Underground Garden (Saturn)
Reverse Castle
Reverse EntranceNecromancy LaboratoryBlack Marble GalleryReverse Outer WallForbidden Library
Reverse Clock TowerReverse CavernsAnti-ChapelDeath Wing's LairReverse KeepReverse Colosseum
CaveFloating CatacombsReverse Castle CenterSoul Prison (Saturn) • Hell Garden (Saturn)
Music
Dracula's CastleCastlevania: Symphony of the Night Original Soundtrack
MIDI Power Pro6Dracula X: RemixiesDracula Music Collection
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles Original Soundtrack
Guides
Futabasha Gekka no Yasōkyoku Official GuideNTT Pub Gekka no Yasōkyoku Official Guide
Shinkigensha Gekka no Yasōkyoku Official GuideBradyGames Symphony of the Night Official Strategy Guide
Prima's Unauthorized Symphony of the Night Strategy GuideKonami Akumajō Dracula X Chronicle Official Guide
Archives
BestiaryInventoryCreditsAchievements & TrophiesRichter ModeMaria ModeThief Mode
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
Characters
Protagonists
Soma CruzMina HakubaJulius BelmontYoko BelnadesGenya Arikado (Alucard) • Hammer
Antagonists
Celia FortnerDario BossiDmitrii BlinovSoma Cruz (Julius Mode)
Bosses
Flying ArmorBaloreMalphasPuppet MasterRahabGergothZephyrBat Company
ParanoiaAguniAbaddonDeathMenace
Areas
The Lost VillageWizardry LabGarden of MadnessThe Dark ChapelDemon Guest HouseCondemned Tower
Cursed Clock TowerSubterranean HellSilenced RuinsThe PinnacleMine of JudgmentThe Abyss
Music
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow & Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow Original Soundtrack
Guides
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow - The Official Strategy Guide
Konami Akumajō Dracula: Sōgetsu no Jūjika Official Guide
Archives
BestiaryInventoryJulius ModeVoice Translations
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