Lasers have been introduced for electrode cutting in lithium-ion battery manufacturing. During laser cutting, thermal effects can be induced at the cutting edge, which can ultimately degrade battery performance. To mitigate process instability, a monitoring system capable of detecting defects in real time is required. In laser cutting, plasma is formed via the ionization of metal vapor. Because laser-induced plasma is closely related to the thermal behavior of the material, information on plasma characteristics can be utilized for process monitoring. In this study, plasma characterization was performed during laser cutting of NCM (LiNixMnyCozO2) cathode materials to establish a monitoring system. Optical emission spectroscopy and imaging were employed for plasma diagnostics. To investigate the effects of laser parameters on plasma characteristics, the pulse repetition rate, pulse energy, and scan speed were selected as variables. Pulses delivered at repetition rates above several hundred kHz induced plasma overlap. Accordingly, at higher pulse repetition rates, the pulse-to-pulse time interval shortened, resulting in spectra dominated by continuum emission. Reducing the pulse energy and scan speed decreased the plasma size observed in the images, and the emission line intensity also decreased. In addition, as the laser beam moved, plasma inhomogeneity increased along the scan direction, resulting in self-reversal in the emission spectra. The imaging results likewise showed an elongated plasma plume extending opposite to the scan direction. Furthermore, spatially resolved analysis of the plasma was conducted to identify the distribution of emitting species within the plasma.