Today, the Pokemon community is coming together to uplift one of its own. You may not know James Carter by name, but you most certainly know their voice. The actor has long-voiced characters like Gary Oak and Team Rocket’s James in the English dub of Pokemon. After years on the job, Carter has announced plans to retire from Pokemon at the end of season 25 amid their battle with cancer.
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Taking to Caring Bridge, Carter’s family shared the retirement announcement with supporters. “In other news, Jimmy has decided to retire from script adapting and voice dubbing for Pokรฉmon 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 storylines,” the site reads. “We remain eternally grateful for your love, thoughts, comments, “hearts,” prayers, and well-wishes.”
For those who aren’t familiar with Carter’s journey, their Caring Bridge fund began on January 30th after the actor was diagnosed with cancer. “After nearly a year of his throat “not feeling right,” Jimmy was diagnosed in late January 2023 with an advanced cancer that appears to have started at the base of his tongue (the “waterfall,” where the tongue goes into the throat), and has spread into both sides of his tongue and also some lymph glands in his neck,” the fund reads.
According to Carter’s most recent update on Caring Bridge, they are continuing to fight valiantly against cancer even though a “more aggressive chemo approach” has been deemed necessary for treatment. You can also support Carter and their family through Caring Bridge by making donations here if you’d like.
As for the voice actor, their history in the anime community is known well. They have been in the business since the late ’90s and began work on Pokemon in 1998. Carter is known best for voicing Gary Oak as well as James, Meowth, and Professor Oak. They have also overseen Pokemon as an ADR Script Adaptor for decades now. And beyond Pokemon, Carter has worked on other popular anime titles like Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, Sonic X, Tokyo Mew Mew, and more.
Our thoughts are with Carter and their loved ones during this difficult time. If you want to support the actor, you can find more information about their health fund at Caring Bridge.ย
