Li Kui, also transliterated as
Lee Kuey, is a character in
Outlaws of the Marsh. He is known as the
Black Whirlwind due to his ugly dark complexion and the flurry he creates in battle. When engaging in battle, he strips down
naked and runs into the densest group of enemies wielding heavy twin
battle axes. He can mow down hundreds of enemies single-handedly without taking a scratch. As a chieftain of the rebel army, he usually commanded the reinforcements.
Li Kui is perhaps the most rebellious of the rebels. He often ignores the commands of his superiors when his sense of justice is stronger. Song Jiang often has to berate him, but Li Kui is willing to accept his punishments. It is a testament to his honor.
Li Kui, as useful as he is, often gets himself and his fellow outlaws in trouble. He often begs to tag along on covert operations then causes a ruckus which reveals their identity, and rescue operations are then needed. He is also very bloodthirsty. After the rebel army defeats a neighboring village, Li Kui, remembering a previous slight by the Hu village, slaughters everyone there, even though Song Jiang pledges not to harm them. Song Jiang pardons Kui only because he performed so well in battle. Incidentally, the lone Hu survivor, Ten Feet of Steel, as an orphan, becomes a ward of the rebels and joins them.
Li Kui's sense of honor continues to the end. When he learns of a double-cross, he attempts to set things straight, but is prevented by Song Jiang in an attempt to keep the outlaws' name clean.