LAPU-LAPU CITY, Philippines — If you’ve ever played Pokemon GO around Cebu, chances are you’ve met Neil Jason “DStarblader” Nogra.
Walk around a certain business park in Brgy. Lahug, Cebu City, and you would’ve easily encountered Nogra. On days when there are events in Pokemon GO, he’d be part of the community raiding, catching, and hanging out with friends he made over the game.
Circling a certain mall, you’d spot Nogra briskly walking from one PokeStop or gym to another, eager to go to the next raid or catch the hundo (a Pokemon with perfect stats) that may despawn a few minutes after it was reported.
But Nogra would always greet you whenever he noticed you. Stopping for a bit just to chit-chat before zooming away to catch some more. Then, after an event’s festivities had subsided, he’d put his photography lenses on and snap augmented reality (AR) photos of whichever Pokemon was featured during an event.
DStarblader was as dedicated to playing the game the way hardcore players do as he was to taking the perfect AR photo. More than that, Nogra was charismatic, able to bring his smile and infect others with it. In many cases, he was a star in Cebu’s massive and tight-knit Pokemon GO community.
Thus, it was with deep sadness for the Pokemon community to have learned of Nogra’s passing on May 18, 2026. He died after battling health complications while he was admitted to a hospital in Cebu.
As the community sends its prayers to Nogra’s soul and bereaved family, the Pokemon community remembers one of its own.
Beloved Pokemon Community Member
As a familiar face in Cebu’s active Pokemon GO scene, the Cebuano community mourns the passing of Nogra.
In a Facebook post, Pokémon GO – Cebu shared how he was at the heart of the community, leading raids, calling out rare Pokemon, and encouraging new community members.
“[Nogra] wasn’t just a trainer — he was a friend, and the heart of our raids. He was always ready with a spare lure, a smile, and the best callouts for hundos and shundos. Our community won’t be the same without him leading legendary raids and cheering on every new player,” Pokémon GO – Cebu’s Facebook page posted.
“Thank you for the friendship, the raids at sunrise and sunset, and for reminding us this game is really about the people we meet. Rest easy, DStarblader. Your adventure continues in the stars.”
Meanwhile, one of Nogra’s closest friends in the community, Marjj Marj, had much to remember about him. Nogra was part of several subgroups formed in the Pokemon GO community, typically spawning through Messenger group chats that grew out of shared friendships.
“I’m truly grateful for the friendship we built since 2023, when I started playing Pokémon GO again. From the Team Cebu 2.0 squad to the Barbie Tops squad, those moments will always stay close to my heart,” Marj shared.
“The Pokémon GO Barbie Tops squad will never be the same without you. I’m going to miss our moving raids from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., our chikas, and all our out-of-town trips together. Thank you for being part of so many happy memories and for bringing so much joy and good energy to everyone around you,” she continued.
Other community members also shared their memories with Nogra.
Arjan Gibs “Starkgaryen888” Dadula, one of Pokémon GO – Cebu’s admins and community head for Argao (a southern town in Cebu), considered Nogra more than just a community member.
“[Nogra’s passing is] truly a great loss to the Pokemon GO Cebu community. He was not only a community member but also a brother, a friend, a family,” Dadula shared to Tech INQ in a private interview.
“A true talent and a true friend. We won’t be able to see his smile. We won’t be able to hear his laugh. We won’t be able to feel his presence anymore, but his memories will always be in our hearts,” he continued.
Meanwhile, Cebuano festival photographer Marvin Llanos, one of the original players of the Cebu community, also shared some words in light of Nogra’s passing.
“Rest easy DStarblader Neil Jason Nogra. Thank you for making Pokemon GO in Cebu memorable with you around,” Llanos shared on his Facebook timeline.
Fun Times with DStarblader
Besides words, other community members also shared their favorite memories with Nogra.
For instance, in a player-versus-player focused group chat, Choi Eun Mi shared how Nogra was never a salty player.
One time, out of the nine-player group Nogra and Mi were a part of, only Nogra was unable to catch a perfect IV hundo Wobbufet as his fled due to the GO Plus+ failing to catch it.
Despite that, Nogra made light of the situation.
For a recap video, Nogra joined in with the rest of his peers in showing off the hundo Wobbufet. However, as he didn’t catch one, he opted to share a screenshot of the flee notification instead.
In the Pokemon Go Cebu Facebook group, American player Mactan Les recounted his friendship with Nogra.
During the first day they met, Les and Nogra capped their respective daily trade limit by trading 100 Pokemon.
Out of the 100 Pokemon exchanged, only a Lucky Dratini remained with Les. Nevertheless, he considers Nogra as a lifelong friend he’s made from Cebu’s community.
“I have met many amazing and beautiful people on my visits to Cebu and Neil was definitely one of them!,” Les mentioned as he recalled his memory with Nogra in the community group page.
Pokemon Philippines Community Trainer of the Month Recipient
As one of the more prominent Filipino AR photographers in Pokemon GO, Nogra was the Pokemon Philippines Community Trainer of the Month for June 2025. The award is given out by the Pokemon Philippines Community group monthly to standout trainers from its nationwide community.
Speaking to Tech INQ, Ian Fabula Lin, one of the admins for the Pokemon Philippines Community group, shared how Nogra ended up as the Trainer of the Month for June 2025.
“Neil Jason Nogra was selected as our Pokémon Trainer of the Month for June 2025 because of the incredible impact and creativity he consistently brought to the community through his Pokémon GO AR photography,” Lin shared.
According to Lin, the community started noticing Nogra’s amazing AR photography way back in 2024.
Looking at his Instagram (@dstarblader), he’s amassed almost 2K followers. His work was featured multiple times in Pokemon GO blogs that featured the best AR snapshots from all-over the globe.
He was also featured in Cebu Daily News Digital’s Faces of Cebu feature series for his photography.
“His work immediately stood out because of how he blended real-world locations across the Philippines with Pokemon in a way that felt immersive, creative, and uniquely Filipino,” Lin said.
With his eye for photography, Nogra has won AR photography community contests, having won Pokemon Philippines’s Sinnoh-themed Pokemon Day contest in 2024 and second place for the Unova-themed Pokemon Day contest in 2025.
Eventually, thanks to his impressive skills and portfolio, Nogra became a judge himself for this year’s Kalos-themed Pokemon Day contest.
“We invited Neil to become one of our judges for the AR Photo Contest — which really reflected the respect and recognition he had earned within the community,” Lin revealed.
With Nogra’s passing, Lin shared that the community is grateful for the chance to have witnessed the talent and passion he brought to the scene.
“We’re truly grateful for everything he contributed to the Pokémon Philippines community, and we’re honored to have celebrated his work while he was with us.”
Nogras are True Gamers
In an interview during one of the nights of his wake, Flora Nogra, his mother, was in awe of his son’s passion for the mobile Pokemon game.
“I forgot what year he started, but he’s been at it for quite some time. When he’s at home, he’d claim he saw Pokemon. He runs up the street to catch it. He’s very much into catching Pokemon that he’d reach the [Naga Boardwalk], and he even goes up to the mountains,” Nogra’s mom shared in Cebuano.
“At first, I didn’t understand the value of [Pokemon GO],” she uttered. “Then, I discovered he joined a group. Before that, he played the game solo.”
She then recalls seeing a picture of his son, seemingly happy alongside the community. That’s when she realized that her son was in good company.
Nogra was a true gamer through and through.
In fact, he shares this trait with the rest of his family. Even his mom plays Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) thanks to him and his siblings’ influence.
Furthermore, Nogra’s mom also shared how she got into gaming, specifically playing MLBB, by watching his son’s vein-popping, rage gaming sessions.
“I was intrigued when I saw him getting angry over the game. He’d curse and say things like: ‘This devil is stupid,’ ‘Go home! Why?!’ or ‘This one is dumb. Why is he like that?’,” Nogra’s mom hilariously recalled.
Afterwards, she then instructed her son to download MLBB to her phone, just to see if she’d turn out to be an angry momma bird.
Trying the game herself, she would often call out her son for his raging tendencies, pointing out that even though she was still a bit slow at the game and only had a few rank stars, she could remain calm. Nogra, however, would quickly retort by teasing her about how low her rank was.
With her children reaching the mythic rank, she would ask for help from them, only to be shut down, saying how they couldn’t team up due to the massive rank difference. She would also get teased for only being good at the low-stakes Classic mode rather than the more competitive Ranked matches.
Nogra’s mom liked how her son preferred to play Pokemon GO more than MLBB, highlighting how MLBB gets her son angry, but Pokemon GO seems to put a smile on his son’s face.
Nevertheless, as the mother of a true gaming family, Nogra’s mom was thankful his son found a community to call his own — a community that loves her son wholeheartedly just as much as she loves him.
“When I saw how happy he was with the Pokemon GO community, it’s all good. If a person is happy with what they do in a place where they’re happy, that’s all good for me.”
Rest in Peace DStarblader
Though his journey has come to an end, Neil Jason “DStarblader” Nogra’s greatest mark is the memories he forged together with the community.
He was a familiar face, a dependable friend, a creative inspiration, and a source of positivity for the community.
Whether through his award-winning AR photos or laughter-filled Pokemon GO adventures, Nogra made the community brighter, and that light will continue to shine long after his final logout.
Rest in peace, Neil. You will forever be loved and remembered.