Olivia Richman 
Rachael Lillis, the original English voice for Jessie and Misty in the anime, has passed away.
Pokemon fans have been mourning the loss of voice actress Rachel Lillis, the first woman behind major characters including Misty, Jessie, and Jigglypuff in the original anime that aired in the 90s. She passed away on Saturday, August 10 after battling breast cancer since May 2024.
The news was shared initially by Veronica Taylor, the original voice behind Ash Ketchum who worked with Lillis on many Pokemon shows. A memorial is currently being planned at a future date. Meanwhile, Lillis’ family has asked to grieve privately during this time. Before her passing, Lillis said she was thankful for all the love and support she received while battling with cancer.
Fellow voice actors and others connected to the Pokemon franchise expressed sadness over Lillis’ passing.
Who is voice actress Rachael Lillis?
Rachael Lillis was a voice actress known for her work on Pokemon’s early anime productions, and other anime and animated series including Revolutionary Girl Utena.
Lillis started her voice acting career in the 1990s and became largely known for her connection to Pokemon. She was the original English-language version of Misty, a Water Pokemon trainer, and Jessie, part of Team Rocket, in the 1997 series. Playing both a major protagonist and one of the main villains in the show is quite the range. Alongside this, Lillis played Misty and Jessie in a variety of English-language Pokemon movies. This includes The First Movie, The Movie 2000, Mewtwo Returns, Spell of the Unown, Pokemon 4Ever, Pokemon Heroes, and Lucario and the Mystery of Mew.
Lillis also voiced Jigglypuff, a pink, hypnotizing Pokemon, in the Super Smash Bros games and Pokemon anime.
“It just hit me that her voice is the one I probably heard more than nearly anyone else in my life,” said Juan “Hungrybox” DeBiedma, an elite Smash Bros Melee competitive player who mains Jigglypuff.
Lillis left Pokemon alongside other members of the cast in 2006. She continued doing voiceover work from there, with her most recent credited role coming in 2019 in Hunter x Hunter as the voices of Mito Freecss and Cocco.
While Rachael Lillis was known best for her role in the Pokemon series, movies, and games, she was known by her friends as a funny and talented woman. Taylor wrote that she knew Lillis as a friend, calling her kind and compassionate” and mentioning her intelligence and great memory.
