Which demon was killed by Vishnu in his Narasimha avatar?

Vishnu kills the demon king Hiranyakashipu in his Narasimha avatar. Narasimha appears as a man-lion to protect Hiranyakashipu’s devoted son, Prahlada, and to overcome a seemingly unbreakable boon.

Hiranyakashipu had asked Brahma for protections that prevented him from being killed by a human or animal, inside or outside, during day or night, on the ground or in the sky, and by a weapon. Vishnu’s half-human, half-lion form bypasses these conditions. At twilight, on a threshold, Narasimha places the demon on his lap and kills him with his claws.

Hiranyakashipu’s brother Hiranyaksha is a common mix-up. Vishnu kills Hiranyaksha in the Varaha avatar, which precedes Narasimha in the usual Dashavatara sequence. Kamsa is instead Krishna’s tyrannical maternal uncle, while Ravana is defeated by Rama. Narasimha is therefore not merely a destructive figure: he is also revered as a fierce protector of devotees and as a symbol of divine intervention against oppression.