Yoshihisa Kishimoto, the influential creator behind legendary beat-’em-up series Double Dragon and River City (Kunio-kun), has died aged 64.
Kishimoto’s video game career began in the early 80s, when he joined developer DataEast and directed laserdisc arcade titles Cobra Command and Road Blaster. It was his later work at Technos Japan that had a more lasting impact on the video games industry, however.
During his time at Technos, Kishimoto played an instrumental role in establishing the side-scrolling beat-’em-up genre, directing 1986’s Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun (localised as Renegade in the west) and 1987’s two-player co-op focused Double Dragon. He would go on to direct the likes of 1987 Kunio-kun spin-off Super Dodge Ball, 1991’s WWF WrestleFest, and two Double Dragon sequels before departing Technos in the 1990s.
Post-Technos, Kishimoto worked as a freelance game designer and producer, his more recent credits including director on 2017’s Double Dragon 4, and creative consultant on River City Ransom: Underground that same year.
News of Kishimoto’s death (later confirmed by Famitsu) was shared over the weekend by his son, Ryūbō. “I am sorry to inform you that my father has passed to rest on 2nd April 2026,” he wrote in an auto-translated Facebook post. “Thank you very much for everything you have done for me during my life.”
In a later message to fans on X (as per the site’s own auto-translation), Ryūbō added, “I’m sorry for not being able to reply, but thank you very much for the many heartfelt memory messages… Please continue to enjoy my father’s works with a smile in the future.”
