James Carter Cathcart has made the announcement that he is giving up voice acting.
After 25 years of doing the voices for characters like James, Meowth, and others in the Pokémon anime series, he has decided to retire due to a cancer diagnosis.
His wife has revealed that the 25th season’s last episode of Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series will be the last time viewers hear his voice on the programme.
According to Martha Jacobi, her 69-year-old husband received the initial cancer diagnosis in late January.
According to her, the cancer first appeared at the base of his tongue before moving up both sides of it and into his neck’s lymph nodes.
Unfortunately, his tumours did not react to chemotherapy as predicted, necessitating the need for more aggressive treatments.
His next round of treatment will begin in May.
Writing for CaringBridge about Cathcart ending his work on the show, she said: ‘Jimmy has decided to retire from script adapting and voice dubbing for Pokémon USA, effective at the conclusion of Season 25.
‘He has been with the series since the first episode, so it is a timely decision as the series transitions to new characters and storylines.
‘We remain eternally grateful for your love, thoughts, comments, hearts, prayers, and well-wishes.’
She added: ‘He has been with the series since the first episode, so it is a timely decision as the series transitions to new characters and storylines.’
In order to “better support” her husband “through this season of life,” Martha has also decided to leave from her own post as Associate Dean for the Brainspotting Concentration in Behavioural Health at International University for Graduate Studies.
She wrote: ‘I’ll be continuing my psychotherapy practice and other consulting and teaching responsibilities as we venture further on this journey together.’
Since 1998, Cathcart has provided a variety of voices for anime.
Those who grew up watching the Pokémon series will probably be familiar with him; they may not know him by name, but his voice has brought a lot of comfort to many.
Since the beginning of the series, the actor has portrayed two members of Team Rocket who have become into beloved characters: the flamboyant James and the special-speaking Meowth.
He has also provided the voices for Pokémon and Professor Oak.
In addition to his work on the Pokémon series, Cathcart has lent his voice to other anime series, including Kirby: Right Back at Ya! and Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters.
Additionally, he provided voices for video games such Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Shadow the Hedgehog, and Pokémon Snap.
