Who is Leeroy Jenkins? The Man, the Myth, the Legend of Leeeeroy

Have you heard of Leeroy Jenkins? The story of Leeroy Jenkins is a mainstay in gaming history, but someone has to tell you the story or you have to look it up to know what it is about. When I started gaming online I would hear references to “LEEERRROOOOOOY JEEENKKIIINNNS!!!!” and have no idea what they were talking about.

Leeroy Jenkins was in a squad on World of Warcraft with a plan to attack a section in a dungeon. The group was on voice chat together and were talking about who would go in first, who would take care of what, what the percentages were, and then Leeroy simply ran in and yelled “LEEROY JENKINS.” When the rest of the squad realized he had run in and started without them, they followed and all eventually died.

Now the phrases “Leeroy” or “Leeroy Jenkins” are used to denote people who run in ahead instead of staying back with their squad. It can also mean people who do things without thinking.

Many times you will see it misspelled as Leroy Jenkins, but it is correctly spelled Leeroy Jenkins.

Now, the next time you hear the phrase Leeroy Jenkins you will know where it came from.