Prolific Pokémon Voice Actor, Known for Roles including Team Rocket and Gary Oak, Retires Due to Cancer

James Carter Cathcart, a renowned voice actor known for his work as Professor Oak, Gary Oak, and the iconic villains James and Meowth in the Pokémon anime, among other characters in anime and video games, has retired from his career due to throat cancer. His wife, Martha, announced his retirement in a blog post on CaringBridge, explaining that Cathcart’s cancer had not been responding to treatments and that a more aggressive approach would be taken. In January, it was revealed that the 69-year-old voice actor had developed a tumor on his tongue that had spread to his neck and that he had been undergoing chemotherapy to shrink it.

Martha noted in her post that Cathcart would be starting a new round of treatments on May 1, which would consist of seven weeks of radiation therapy five days a week with simultaneous chemotherapy on weeks 1, 4, and 7. As a result, he has decided to retire as a voice actor for the English dub of the Pokémon anime after the conclusion of Season 25 in the United States.

Cathcart’s work on the Pokémon anime dates back to its first episode, making his retirement a timely decision as the series transitions to new characters and storylines. Pokémon Horizons, a new series that will introduce new protagonists to take Ash’s place, is set to debut. In addition to his work on the Pokémon anime, Cathcart has lent his voice to a number of other anime and video game characters, including Weevil Underwood in Yu-Gi-Oh!, Sir Gallant in Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, Team Chaotix leader Vector the Crocodile in Sonic X and Shadow the Hedgehog, Butchie in One Piece, and Roger Bacon in Shadow Hearts.