James Carter Cathcart, also known as Jimmy Zoppi, sadly passed away on July 5, 2025. He was a man of many talents, but most are aware of him thanks to his career as a voice actor. Like many East Coast voice actors, he worked for 4Kids Entertainment, voicing characters in the English dub of many anime from the late 1990s and early 2000s. The vast majority of his characters were from Pokémon, and unlike most other 4Kids voice actors, Cathcart remained on board when The Pokémon Company took over international dubbing, continuing until his retirement in 2023.
Cathcart’s range and ability to shift between nasty villains and hilarious comic relief allowed him to play a wide array of characters. While Pokémon provided the bulk of his best roles, his time with 4Kids resulted in a few characters who are still fondly remembered by those who grew up with their questionable dubs.
10
Charles Goodshow
In ‘Pokémon’
As the President of the Pokémon League, Charles Goodshow oversees the various conferences where trainers who have collected eight gym badges can compete to become Pokémon Masters. He also oversees the ceremonial torch relay to bring the Flame of Moltres to the respective Pokémon League. During the relay for the Indigo League, Goodshow met Ash Ketchum for the first time and allowed him to help carry the flame.
Goodshow is an entertaining anime-only character thanks to his energy and eccentricities. He takes a hands-on approach to running things and is happy to take a chance on new trainers that he thinks have good potential. It also helps that he takes the necessary precautions so that things won’t get thrown off by unforeseen accidents, such as carrying the original Flame of Moltres in his jacket if the torch goes out. Cathcart’s performance helps give the old man some youthful energy, making him an entertaining and memorable character despite his limited appearances.
9
Todd Snaps
In ‘Pokémon’
Unlike most people in the Pokémon World, who wish to capture Pokémon and train them to be their partners, Todd Snaps is content with photographing Pokémon. He dislikes posed shots, however, and so treks into the wilderness to capture raw moments of Pokémon living their lives. Some of his photos have been featured in magazines, earning him worldwide recognition and giving him a bit of an ego.
Todd’s time as a temporary companion of Ash and his friends was another way the anime showed how people can interact with Pokémon outside of battling. He also served as a foil for Ash, since both were proud young men with a tendency for showing off. However, they worked through their differences to stop Team Rocket, and Todd even traveled with Ash and his friends for a few episodes. As for Cathcart’s performance, it does the job well, especially in how he captures Todd’s passion and egotism in a way that feels perfect for a pre-teen.
8
Butch
In ‘Pokémon’
Everyone knows of the iconic Team Rocket trio of Jessie, James, and Meowth, but for the longest time, they were seen as a joke by their boss, Giovanni. He instead put his time and effort into more elite teams, such as Butch and Cassidy. Their schemes usually have a good chance of succeeding, were it not for the interference of Ash and his friends, or Jessie, James, and Meowth, who often clash with Butch and Cassidy out of jealousy.
Cathcart gives Butch a very deep, raspy voice, which contrasts with James’ more flamboyant higher higher-pitched voice. This helps to sell Butch as a more gruff and threatening member of Team Rocket, while still capable of leaning into moments of comedy. This is seen through Butch’s running gag where nobody can get his name right, which leaves him furious.
7
Miki Kaoru
In ‘Revolutionary Girl Utena’
The youngest member of the Ohtori Academy Student Council, Miki Kaoru, is known as both an expert duelist and pianist. However, he has been in a melancholic state ever since he split from his twin sister, Kozue. Thus, he hopes to find someone who can act as his new muse.
Miki is one of the many interesting characters that make Revolutionary Girl Utena a must-watch anime. He is an interesting take on the young protégé and tortured artist trope, especially when he finds a woman who could be his muse. He finds himself torn between loving her as a person and simply wanting her as a vessel for his creativity. Cathcart’s voicework does a good job adding to these thanks to how melancholic and wistful he sounds.
6
Weevil Underwood
In ‘Yu-Gi-Oh’
When the creator of the Duel Monsters card game, Maximillion Pegasus, hosts a tournament on his private island with a $3 million prize reward and a chance to duel against him, the greatest duelists from around the world sign up. Among them is Weevil Underwood, known for his deck of bug-themed monsters. During the boat ride to the island, he tricks up-and-coming duelist Yugi Moto into letting Weevil see his Exodia cards (a set of five cards that can win the game if all are in the duelist’s hand), which he throws into the ocean. Yugi beats him anyway when they duel on the island, and from then on, he becomes a recurring menace for Yugi and his friends.
Yu-Gi-Oh is full of colorful secondary characters and one-off antagonists, and Weevil ranks highly among them, thanks in large part to Cathcart’s voicework. He gives Weevil the perfect nasal, wormy voice that makes you want to swat him like one of his bugs, especially when he gets arrogant and condescending. And when Weevil gets his much-deserved carmatic punishments, Cathcart goes all out in his over-the-top and hilarious reactions to loss.
5
Vector the Crocodile
In ‘Sonic X’ and ‘Shadow the Hedgehog’
With his friends Espeo the Cameleon and Charmy Bee, Vector the Crocodile runs Chaotix Detective Agency, and is willing to take any job for the right money. They are eventually hired by a rabbit named Vanilla to track down her missing daughter, Cream. They find her in the care of Sonic the Hedgehog after a battle with Dr. Eggman brought them to Earth, and once things were cleared up, Vector became an ally to Sonic and his friends.
Vector doesn’t have a large role in Sonic X, but much like his game counterpart, he leaves a good impression thanks to his dynamic with the other members of Team Chaotix. He strikes a good middle ground between Charmy’s immaturity and Espeo’s stoicism, and combines some good analytical skills with a hammy personality. Cathcart originally voiced Vector like most of his other characters, but switched things up after a few episodes and emerged with a more nasal voice that better suited his personality. This second voice became internet famous when the line “Find the Computer Room” from the game Shadow the Hedgehog became a meme.
4
Meowth
In ‘Pokémon’
To impress a domestic Meowth named Meowzie, a wild Meowth trained himself to walk on two legs and speak the human language. Unfortunately, not only did this fail to impress Meowzie, but the effort was so great that Mewoth could no longer learn any new attacks. He eventually joined Team Rocket and became best friends with Jessie and James. After witnessing the power of Ash’s Pikachu, the trio made it their life’s mission to steal the electric mouse and give him to Giovanni.
Cathcart took over voicing Meowth from Maddie Blaustein, and while nobody could match her delivery, he did a great job. He especially captures the duality of Meowth’s nature: on the one hand, he is a conniving and ambitious feline with plenty of sass, but on the other, he is an introspective individual with a big heart. Meowth’s best moments always come from the bond he shares with Jessie and James, as they’re three outcasts who manage to find camaraderie and acceptance in one another, even if they occasionally bicker.
3
Professor Oak
In ‘Pokémon’
One of the most respected Pokémon professors in the world, Samuel Oak, lives in Pallet Town and spends his time focusing on how humans and Pokémon interact with one another. To that end, he allows trainers to store their excess Pokémon in his lab and hosts several lectures and programs discussing the importance of human-Pokemon partnerships. He has taken a particular interest in the career of Ash Ketchum and often shows up on his adventures to offer encouraging words and helpful advice.
Professor Oak is another role that Cathcart inherited after 4Kids lost the dubbing rights to Pokémon, this time from Stuart Zagnit. This time, the performances are much closer: Cathcart especially succeeds in giving Oak a warm, friendly voice like you would expect from an encouraging mentor figure. He also captures Oak’s more down-to-earth side, such as when he recites poems.
2
James
In ‘Pokémon’
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Though he was the only child of a wealthy family, James found the aristocratic life smothering and longed for freedom. His breaking point came when his parents betrothed him to a rather controlling woman named Jessebelle, so James ran away. After a brief period in a biker gang, he joined Team Rocket and has never once looked back on his old life.
As with Mewoth, there’s no way Cathcart could capture the iconic delivery of Eric Steward, but he still captured the spirit of what makes the character one of the best in the franchise. James is an incredibly layered character: while he might be a criminal, he is a good person at heart who loves his friends and Pokémon dearly and is willing to do what is necessary to help them, even if it costs him. He’s also incredibly funny, from his over-the-top reactions to getting violently smothered by his Pokémon and swindled by a Magikarp salesman.
1
Gary Oak
In ‘Pokémon’
From a young age, Ash has had a longstanding rivalry with Professor Oak’s grandson, Gary. He always seemed to be one step ahead of Ash, which was exasperated when Gary left Pallet town with a Squirtle with a squad of cheerleaders. Ash would eventually beat Gary in the Johto Region’s Silver Conference, and shortly after, Gary re-assessed his priorities and decided to become a Pokémon Professor like his grandfather, leading him to travel around the world to study rare Pokémon.
Cathcart voiced Gary from the very first episode, and it’s amazing to see how the character grew and changed throughout the series. At first, he was the perfect rival, with an ego the size of a mountain and a smugness that instantly made you hate him, but as time went on, he matured and learned from every loss and setback that came his way. Things came full circle when he became a mentor figure for Goh during his quest to join Project Mew to track down the titular legendary, guiding the young trainer on his quest just like his grandfather did for Ash. Cathcart’s performance likewise shifted, going from arrogant and conceded to humble and friendly, yet never losing that confidence that made Gary the rival we all loved to hate.
Pokémon
- Release Date
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1997 – 2023
- Network
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TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC
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Rica Matsumoto
Satoshi (voice)
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Ikue Otani
Pikachu (voice)
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