Short Round

The boy known as Short Round (also nicknamed "Short Stuff" or "Shorty") was born in 1926 as Wan Li. Orphaned during the Japanese bombing of Shanghai in 1932, Li picked up his alias as a pickpocket on the streets of his home town and attempted to rob the man he would later refer to as Dr. Jones.

Early Life
The oldest child of a steel plant foreman in Shanghai, Wan Li was orphaned when a Japanese bombing raid killed his family. He was taken in by a Christian mission, where he picked up English and math, but soon turned to the seamy streets of the Shanghai underbelly, picking up survival instincts while working as a guide, pickpocket, and cutpurse. Li picked up much of his English from watching American films at the Tai-Phung theater as he worked in shady areas near the opium dens on Liu Street, and assumed the nickname Short Round.

In 1935 Short Round attempted to pickpocket a tall American man in a fedora, only to find himself trapped by Indiana Jones's bullwhip. Rather than turn Short Round over to the authorities, Indy introduced Short Round to his friend Wu Han and Shorty became one of Indy's contacts in Shanghai. Indy introduced the kid to American baseball--and the New York Yankees--and taught him additional survival skills like how to drive.

The Temple of Doom
In 1935, despite his young age, he served as a driver for Jones while the archaeologist was in Shanghai, delivering Nurhachi's ashes to Lao Che. When Jones and Willie Scott made an emergency escape from Club Obi Wan, Short Round picked them up as they dangled from an awning. Using boxes strapped to his shoes to reach the pedals, he evaded Lao Che's men and sped to the airport.

A capable assistant to the adventurer, Short Round demanded that Scott call his boss Dr. Jones, and when their pilots, employed by Lao Che, abandoned the plane, Short Round calmly recognized that all the parachutes were gone while Jones attempted to fly the plane. When the three escaped the plane crash in India, they eventually reached the village of Mayapore. When Jones was given the task of recovering the town's sacred stone from Pankot Palace, Short Round and Scott accompanied him through the trek on elephant through the jungle. Short Round named his elephant "Big Short Round", believing him to be the reincarnation of his dead brother Chu. One night on the trail, Short Round beat Jones at poker, though they both accused each other of cheating.

At Pankot Palace, the trio were welcomed in and made guests. That night, when Indy was attacked by a Thuggee warrior in his room, Shorty tossed Indy his whip, which reversed the ambush. Short Round accompanied Indy into a set of secret chambers found in Willie's room, but accidentally triggered some of the lethal traps. Despite her fear of the insects crawling in the chambers, Willie managed to stop the traps and save their lives. As they explored further, they witnessed a Thuggee ceremony presided by Mola Ram. After Indy went to retrieve the Sankara stones, Willie and Shorty were captured by Thuggee cultists and separated. While imprisoned briefly with Indy, Shorty learned about how the prisoners were turned into Thuggee followers through a ritual of blood drinking.

Short Round attempted to stop the forced conversion of his friend by attacking Zalim Singh, but failed to prevent Indy from being forced to drink the dark blood. Shorty was shackled and forced to work in the mines below the palace, alongside the other child slaves taken from the area's villages. When the guards were absent, Shorty broke his chains and attempted to escape. Eventually he was re-captured, and was brought to witness another of Mola Ram's gruesome ceremonies, where a converted Indy was to put Willie to death. Breaking free, he tried to snap Jones out of it, and was struck by his friend. Hitting Indy with a torch managed to clear the effects of Kali Ma from Jones' mind, and the two fought the temple staff for freedom, subduing Chattar Lal and saving Willie.

When Jones decided to help all the children escape, Shorty helped him fight the guards and unshackle the slaves. As Indy fought the toughest Thuggee guard, Zalim Singh used a voodoo doll to inflict pain on Indy. Short Round saw Singh and climbed up to Singh's vantage point and wrestled for control of the doll. Eventually Shorty won, and saved Indy from being killed in the rock crusher. Singh slashed at Shorty and Shorty struck back with a torch, which freed Singh's mind from the Thuggee spell. Singh thanked his fellow child and informed him of the best escape route.

Taking off in a mine car, Shorty controlled the brake while Indy dealt with their pursuers. With the mines flooding, they managed to escape to freedom after a confrontation with Mola Ram and the remaining Thuggee, in which Mola was devoured by crocodiles and the Thuggee were shot or captured by the Eleventh Poona Rifles. With the escaped children, the trio returned to Mayapore as heroes.

Further Adventures
Afterward, he returned with Indy to the United States, where he attended boarding school.

He teamed up with the archaeologist again some years later in Jones' search for the Sasquatch. Within the tree canopy they discovered the wreckage of an unknown technology, beyond even that found in Atlantis.

Inside the pair came across a human skeleton in the pilot seat that gave Doctor Jones pause for thought. Shorty asked if they should keep looking for the "monster" but Indiana decides it might be best to leave it to the Great Unknown.

Short Round became an archaeologist like his hero and managed to track down the Peacock's Eye to Hawaii in 1957.

Personality and talents
Short Round was fluent in Chinese, and his English was manageable. Even at a young age and short stature, he was a skilled driver. He was extremely loyal to and protective of Indiana Jones, willing to risk his own life to defend his friend. While calm and quick-thinking under pressure, he rarely accepted responsibility for actions that may have gotten him and his friends into trouble.

Behind the scenes

 * Actor Ke Huy Quan portrayed Short Round in Temple of Doom.
 * The Temple of Doom novelization states that Short Round was born in the Year of the Monkey. This would place his birth between February 1920 and February 1921.
 * According to the unauthorized Spanish-language book Indiana Jones: Biografía, Short Round was adopted by a high-society couple&mdash;friends of Willie Scott&mdash;in New York City, and eventually followed in Indy's footsteps, studying archaeology at the University of Chicago. This account is not endorsed by Lucasfilm.

Appearances

 * Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
 * Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom novel
 * Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom comic
 * The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones
 * Issue 26: "Trail of the Golden Guns"
 * Into the Great Unknown
 * LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures