Leeroy Jenkins/Playing With
Basic Trope: A character charges into battle without any thought of the plans made beforehand.
- Straight: Private Bob L. Jenkins, an inexperienced new recruit, attacks the entire enemy army by himself, ignoring the well-thought out plan of attack.
- Exaggerated: Bob attacks the entire enemy army armed only with a butter knife and his underpants, forgetting the combined arms assault that is due to start within minutes.
- Justified: Bob attacks the entire enemy army by himself because he is actually a godlike being in disguise.
- Bob's superior officer, Alice, is a tactical moron whose strategy is so full of holes that it's just as likely to get them all killed as charging blindly on. Even Bob can see this, so why bother with planning?
- Bob's noticed that the enemy is woefully unprepared, and the time needed to prepare a coordinated attack would give the enemy too much time to regroup. Alice was too caught up in forming intricate plans to notice that the simplest plan in this case is probably best.
- Inverted: Bob is itching to attack the enemy and often talks about how he longs for glory and honour in battle. When the actual attack starts, he follows the plan to the letter.
- When the attack starts, Bob is the only one sticking to the plan. Everyone else runs in recklessly.
- Subverted: Bob is at odds with his his superior, Alice, who is determined to follow the plan and repeated drills her subordinates until they can do it in their sleep. When the actual attack starts, Alice charges ahead while Bob follows the plan.
- Alternatively, Bob's charge actually works out well.
- Alice is Genre Savvy, and creates a battle plan that takes into account the fact that Bob will charge blindly ahead with no regard for any plan she makes.
- Double Subverted: Bob constantly talks about how he can't wait to fight, putting him at odds with Alice. When the time for the battle arrives, Alice invites him to attack the enemy by himself. Bob decides that it's a better idea to stick to the plan. A minute later he decides waiting is boring and charges ahead anyway.
- Parodied: Bob charges the enemy and his friends expect him to be killed, turning away in horror. They open their eyes when they hear the enemy retreating in fear of the single soldier attacking them.
- Deconstructed: Bob charges forth, ruining the plan, and gets quickly slaughtered. Despite this, a victory is still managed, albeit with massive loss of life. However, due in part to a painting made of the battle, depicting Bob charging bravely, weapon swung high, while his comrades seemingly cower in fear, Bob goes down in history as a hero and a martyr. Every word he ever spoke becomes a famed quote, and every politician and every idiot in a Flame War liken themselves to the heroic Bob, charging forward with their beliefs, regardless of the oppression of their opponents. All because Bob was way, way Too Dumb to Live.
- Reconstructed: However, Bob's contemporaries later reveal that had he not done that, they wouldn't have had the drive to win what was a key battle. While he may not have been a hero in the traditional sense, Bob's sacrifice was still necessary to their victory.
- Zig Zagged: ???
- Averted: Bob is a well-trained soldier that doesn't want to die, and as a result spends most of the battle crouched behind cover.
- Enforced: The audience expects Bob to charge the enemy army, so the writers make him do it.
- Lampshaded: Bob screams "LEEROOOOOOY JEEEENKIIIINSS!!!" as he attacks the enemy.
- "He just had to run in there and get himself killed, didn't he."
- Invoked: Alice encourages Bob's belief in the pointlessness of keeping to the plan, hoping it will make him attack early and get him killed.
- Defied: Alice sees Bob is about to attack ahead of schedule, and tackles him to the ground to stop him.
- Discussed: "Bob, stop being such a Leeroy, you're going to mess everything up!"
- Conversed: "Ugh, I just know he's going to ruin the plan."
Back to --
"All right chums, let's go back to LEEEEEEEROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOY! JENNNNNNNNNNNKIIIIIIINS!".