Tomo Sakurai, voice of Pokémon’s Cynthia, has died at 53 from cancer. Fans have shared heartfelt tributes online.
Tomo Sakurai has passed away at the age of 53 due to cancer. The voice actress was undergoing treatment for cancer in multiple organs, but ended up not resisting. She was part of many fans' adolescence by voicing Cynthia in the Pokémon series.
Tomo Sakurai career
Tomo Sakurai was born in Chiba, Japan, in 1971. She started her career early on with castings in Dragon League (Princess Wina), Yamato 2520 (Marcie Shima), Macross 7 (Mylene Flare Jenius), Shakugan No Shana (Chigusa Sakai), Gintama (Hinowa), Attack on Titan (Grisha no haha), and much more. However, Tomo Sakurai stood out when she was cast to voice Cynthia in Pokémon. Her last work was for the video game Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero as Mayfair Jones.
After briefly retiring from voice work in 2016 due to health concerns, Sakurai returned in 2019 and continued to contribute to anime until her illness worsened.
The voice actress was fighting a cancer that had reached multiple organs. When her condition worsened, she was hospitalized urgently. She has been in the hospital since Aug. 4, but her symptoms have not improved. Tomo passed away at the age of 53, as confirmed by her agency.
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Public memorial
Her agency expressed heartfelt gratitude for the outpouring of support. Although her funeral will be private, they noted that a public memorial for fans is under consideration and may be held at a later date. Tomo Sakurai has been fondly remembered online for her role as Cynthia, with fans celebrating her talent and the joy she brought to generations of Pokémon enthusiasts.
Tomo Sakurai, who had long been undergoing treatment for multiple organ cancer, was urgently hospitalized on August 4 due to worsening symptoms. Unfortunately, despite treatment, her condition did not improve, and she peacefully passed away on August 13.
We would like to express our deepest gratitude for the many messages of support and encouragement she received during her lifetime.
Tomo Sakurai always remained positive and gave her utmost effort in treatment together with us, aiming for a full recovery. It is truly heartbreaking and regrettable that it has come to this outcome, and we are filled with grief. To all of her fans who continued to support her, we sincerely apologize.
The funeral will be held privately with only close relatives present. We kindly ask you to refrain from making inquiries or requests for interviews regarding the funeral. A farewell gathering with her fans is being considered and may be held at a later date.
The fans who were going to attend the TOMO Summer 2025 Live! to see Tomo Sakurai on Aug. 17 will have their tickets refunded by the organizers.
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