Malphas (also called Karasuman or Feather Demon) is a crow demon. 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 being emitted from its body.
Malphas is described in the Ars Goetia as a "Prince of Hell", commanding forty legions of demons. He appears as a crow, but if requested, will instead resemble a man with a hoarse voice. Malphas specializes in the construction of houses and towers, knowledge of enemies' thoughts, and bestowing familiars. He will attempt to deceive his conjurer, however, and must be treated carefully.
In the Castlevania series, Malphas first appeared in Symphony of the Night, and was called 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 faced Shaft Ghost in Rondo of Blood. Several Malphai appear as regular enemies later on 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 is to fly into the air and fire spreading, directed feathers. Malphas can also fire energy spheres, although this attack is not seen as often. However, Malphas is slow to attack, and easy to knock off balance, and thus he is one of the easier bosses of the game.
In Harmony of Dissonance, there is a remarkably similar enemy called the Feather Demon. It does not use Malphas' raven attack, but is obviously the same type of creature, only redone for the sake of the Game Boy Advance's lower technology.
Malphas makes a cameo in Aria of Sorrow, as his soul is the one that gives Soma the ability to double jump. However, Malphas himself does not actually appear in the game.
Malphas makes a proper return as a boss in Dawn of Sorrow in the Dark Chapel, in which he guards the double jump ability (an odd to Aria of Sorrow). Oddly enough, Malphas is the only boss aside from Menace that doesn't appear in Boss Rush Mode.
Malphas can perform an attack similar to the Holy Lightning spell performed by members of the Belnades Clan. At some point while confronting him, he may hover in the air and slowly build up energy. After enough energy has been gathered, he will unleash four giant electrical spheres which will travel in an arcing pattern, and which also have homing properties (although very slightly).
