James Carter Cathcart, a veteran voice actor and script adapter known for his work with the Pokémon anime, has decided to retire as he undertakes agressive chemotherapy treatment for cancer.
Confirmed via a Caring Bridge blog post, the news is as follows:
"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 1st episode, so it is a timely decision as the series transitions to new characters and story lines."
Cathcart provides the voices for iconic characters such as Professor Oak, Team Rocket's James and Meowth, and Gary Oak. As such, he's one of few voice actors to have worked with the anime franchise since its western debut in 1998.
In addition to his work with the Pokémon anime, Cathcart also provided voiceover work for numerous video games, including the likes of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure, and Shadow The Hedgehog.
We at Nintendo Life thank Cathcart for his wonderful work over the years and wish him the very best with his cancer treatment.
What's your favourite Pokémon performance from James Carter Cathcart? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.
[source caringbridge.org, via twitter.com]
Comments (26)
God speed! I pray for there recovery.
What a legend
I can't think of an anime villain bunch more well-known and iconic than Jessie, James and Meowth of Team Rocket.
He also voiced Weevil Underwood I think! Clearly a man of many talents.
Wishing a swift full recovery 🙏
James has got to be the most lovable villain.
Thank you for all the memories
All respect for his great work 🙏🏻
I hope he makes a speedy recovery, why should someone who has brought so much joy to others have to suffer? The world is cruel.
Pokemon wouldn't have been the same without him. James will always be my favourite of the trio. he's always had this adorable campiness which is really hard to get right.
That absolutely sucks, hopefully he'll have a speedy recovery.
Someone’s agent neglected to fact check this. Eric Stuart was the primary voice actor from 1998 to 2005 for the first 8 seasons. Cartwright took over in 2005 after the Pokémon Company took over dubbing responsibilities.
He also voiced Vector:
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Sonic-X/Vector-the-Crocodile/
You know, the famous "Find the computer room!" quote from the Shadow The Hedgehog game.
Shame what has happened to him, and I hope the treatment goes well.
Removed - unconstructive feedback
@Wilforce hrmmmm I thought it sounded different. I kind hate this guy's voice tbh. Because OG James is so good. Hope he gets rid of the cancer though.
@Fuecoco I don’t know if the contributing writers are students or not - that is irrelevant to their role. While they contribute to Nintendo Life they are journalists, and degrading them as “just students” diminishes their journalistic integrity and the quality of the work. Fact checking is something that every news source goes through, and they make adjustments accordingly. In the past, those adjustments would be printed, now a days it’s usually a sentence at the end noting the correction.
@Cashews I like both equally. They bring different sets of charm to the character. Initially the change was shocking, but Cartwright grew into the role over the first few years and it became more natural for me.
@Wilforce I'm sorry, I was trying to soften the blow. I don't think many of them have 'journalistic integrity'. They are just bad.
He’s provided me with so much happiness over the years—James and Meowth are two of my favorite cartoon characters ever and the voices agree a big part of that.
Wishing him the best for his recovery and can’t say thank you enough!
Wishing James the very best with his treatment too and thank you for all the work done until now!
Godspeed to Mr. Cathcart. He might not have been in some of the Pokémon anime’s best seasons (looking at you, Sun & Moon), but I wish him the best of luck on his recovery and hope he gets back to voice acting soon.
Best of luck to him!
@Wilforce The article doesn't say he was the original voice for James. He was, however, the original - and still only - voice for Gary Oak, meaning he has indeed been with the show since 1998. So whilst the article lacks particular clarity, it does not lack facts.
@Wilforce yeah I was about to say. There ain't no way
@Alopex He’s done a wonderful job, and indeed worked on the franchise since day one as an ADR and script adapter for 4Kids as well, but the verbiage used is still spinning the truth a bit too far since it devalues the contributions the original crew made to the series.
Script adapting too?? I wonder if that means the new season will do things differently, script wise then.
Swift recovery, James!
These voices were an iconic part of my childhood and I wish him all the best with his treatment. It's a shame they ended that era of the show too as I always assumed those would be the main characters for as long as the franchise was around
@Wilforce Yes, but you have devalued his contributions in the same way in your original post by stating only what he hasn't contributed since 1998 and omitting what he has. In an article about Cathcart, you wrote like the only thing that matters is that he isn't Eric Stuart.
@Wilforce original crew aka most /more talented crew.
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