10 Iconic Video Game Characters Created By Fans
2. Leeroy Jenkins - World Of Warcraft
Even if you've never once played even a single second of World of Warcraft, you might be aware of Leeroy Jenkins, the incredible World of Warcraft meme which went viral long before the word "meme" was even in the popular vernacular. Hell, he even appeared in a 2005 episode of Jeopardy.
Leeroy Jenkins became an overnight Internet sensation in 2005 when a video was posted online of the eponymous player-character ignoring his group's carefully laid raid plan and simply running into the fight while shouting "Leeeeroooooy Jenkins!"
Unsurprisingly this resulted in the entire party getting wiped as they attempted to save Leeroy, while Leeroy himself immediately became a prominent entity in the World of Warcraft community.
This resulted in Jenkins being included in various Blizzard card games and later added into World of Warcraft itself as an NPC character.
In 2014's Warlords of Draenor expansion, players can resurrect Leeroy's corpse, kickstarting a 15-minute timer after which Leeroy will suicidally charge into battle if you haven't cleared out the area. Keeping Leeroy alive, however, will allow you to recruit him as a garrison follower.