In some truly unfortunate news, James Carter Cathcart, the iconic voice of Professor Oak and Meowth, has retired from the Pokémon anime after being diagnosed with cancer. According to an official statement, he will officially leave the show after season 25, and we wish him nothing but the best.
Non-profit organization CaringBridge shared a lot of details about Cathcart’s battle, revealing that his throat wasn’t “feeling well” for over a year. James was diagnosed with an advanced cancer that started at the base of his tongue and has since spread to some lymph glands in his neck.
Thankfully, there’s quite a bit of good news for the Pokémon voice actor. According to some specialists, this form of cancer is treatable and there’s a therapy process that won’t result in any long-term damage. He can also have chocolate milkshakes, as long as it has Shaklee plant protein powder mixed in, which is always good.
Like we mentioned earlier, Cathcart has been working on the Pokémon anime for years now. For more than a decade, Cathcart voiced Professor Oak, Meowth, and James, so he’s most of Team Rocket. In addition to that, he has also worked as the English script translator, showing just how multi-talented Cathcart is.
We genuinely hope the best for Cathcart and it’s a shame that he was diagnosed with something so extreme. Since the cancer is treatable, there’s a good chance that he will be able to live a good life after. No matter what happens, he will always be the voice of these iconic characters to a generation and we thank him for it.
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Fans will be able to enjoy James’ work on various Pokémon episodes. These can be viewed in a lot of places, including the official Pokémon YouTube channel, Pokémon TV on the Nintendo Switch, and even on Netflix.