Joy is portrayed as a flat and archetypal character in the movie. As a flat character, Joy is consistent with her dominant traits: being optimistic, energetic, and happy. Her mission remained the same throughout the movie: to do what was best for Riley. She did not undergo any significant changes besides learning to allow Riley to feel other emotions besides happiness. Flat characters like her do not get along with round, complex characters. Sadness is a round character, which is why both of them had difficulty with their connection together. Joy shows the characteristic traits of a hero: courage, positivity, leadership, and sticking to one’s goal. She pushed Sadness to continue their journey back to the headquarters no matter how negative and doubtful Sadness was about everything. Joy obtains the attributes of a leader. She directs orders to other emotions, and they execute them. She does her best to make everything right as she learns from the challenges she faces. 

Joy’s heroic characteristics appeal to the audience because her qualities are what some people look up to. This makes it inspiring for children to be like Joy, who’s brave, happy, and positive. The filmmaker wants to show the significance of consistently solid and affirmative when conquering challenges like Joy experienced. For a children's movie, having a positive character like Joy makes it easier for younger children to comprehend than complex characters like Sadness. 

As mentioned, all Joy wanted was the best for Riley. She wanted Riley to feel positive emotions all the time because she believed it was what would make Riley’s life enjoyable. Joy is a protagonist because of her leadership in Riley’s emotions and overcoming the challenges in the movie to maintain Riley’s well-being. She served as a heroic figure for stopping Riley from running away and fixing the headquarters better than it was. She was one of the central characters, shown more than the rest. Her intentions were good, and she had no sinister mindset. 

Despite being the protagonist, Joy shows antagonistic tendencies. She restricted Sadness from controlling Riley’s emotions, which caused Sadness to feel like a burden instead of thinking about how she’s just as important as Joy. Joy was too focused on Riley being happy. It made her ignore Riley’s emotional well-being. Joy’s lack of ability to acknowledge the crucial role of Sadness in shaping Riley’s transformation and experiences is Joy’s antagonistic tendency. However, she learned to let Riley feel sadness instead of ignoring it because it is a part of her growth. 

Joy’s actions keep Riley happy and relate to the real world. Society forces people to sustain a disguise of positivity no matter the hardship. Joy’s characteristic shows the significance of knowing and accepting any feeling instead of suppressing it.