Protagonist

Character Role Analysis

Joy

Joy's not just Riley's lead emotion, she's our leading lady. Like Riley, Joy goes on a journey during Inside Out. Unlike Riley, who's actions and reactions are controlled by her emotions, Joy makes decisions and determines her own fate. Namely, she recognizes that Sadness isn't just her obnoxious co-worker, she's an equally important member of Team Riley. Oddly enough, once Joy discovers that she doesn't have to delegate every single task to her team at HQ and try to make Riley happy 24/7, she becomes a much better leader.