Tomo Sakurai, the voice actress of Cynthia in the Pokémon franchise, passed away after battling pancreatic cancer for two years. She was 53 years old.
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According to her reps at Feathered, Sakurai died in the early hours of Aug. 13 at a hospital near Tokyo. Days before her passing, the voice actress announced she had been hospitalized a week prior and that her planned Aug. 17 Tokyo performance would be cancelled.
Speaking about her health condition, Sakurai’s reps stated that she was only given one year to live after receiving her cancer diagnosis.
“She underwent chemotherapy and radiation therapy and worked diligently to combat the disease,” her reps also stated. “However, her condition worsened on August 4, 2025, and she was rushed to the hospital. She passed away in the early hours of August 13.”
The Pokémon star’s reps further shared that she endured painful treatments in hopes of making a full recovery. She remained “completely positive” throughout her cancer battle.
“Side effects of treatment included being unable to eat and losing muscle mass, but she always made every effort to recover,” the reps continued. ” Above all else, she wanted to be able to meet all of her supporters again, and she had been training hard to regain her strength in preparation for the live concert on Aug. 17.”
Along with her role in the Pokémon franchise, Tomo Sakurai starred as Mylene Flare Jenius in Macross 7, Meimi Haneoka in Saint Tail, and Makimachi Misao in Rurouni Kenshin.
Pokémon Anime Fans Mourn the Deaths of Tomo Sakurai and James Carter Cathcart
Tomo Sakurai passed away a little over a month after Pokémon voice actor James Carter Cathcart died.
The voice actor, who voiced several characters in the Pokémon franchise, passed away following a throat cancer diagnosis. Among the characters he voiced were Professor Oak, Meowth, Gary Oak, and James from Team Rocket.
Cathcart was reportedly diagnosed with throat cancer in 2023. After initial treatments were deemed unsuccessful, he required more aggressive chemotherapy. He officially retired from voice acting after completing his work on the English dub of Pokémon: Ultimate Journeys. He was 71 years old.
His death also occurred nearly a year after Pokémon castmate Rachael Lillis died amid her battle with breast cancer. She voiced Misty, Jessie, and Jigglypuff in the first eight seasons of the show.