One of the gaming world's true pioneers has left us. Yoshihisa Kishimoto, the creator of classics such as Double Dragon and Kunio-kun, has passed away at the age of 64. The news was confirmed by his son, who announced that his father had died on April 2nd.
"I am sorry to inform you that my father has passed to rest on 04/02/2026. Thank you very much for everything you have done for me during my life. Please forgive us that we will perform at the family funeral. I hope you will continue to enjoy my father's works, including Kunio-kun."
Kishimoto was one of the true heavyweights of the arcade era. In the 1980s, he first worked at Data East, where he contributed to titles like Cobra Command and Road Blaster, before moving on to Technos, the place where he truly cemented his name in the history books with Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun (or Renegade for us Westerners).
The game essentially laid the foundation for the entire beat 'em up genre, and as if that weren't enough, he followed it up with Double Dragon, which became a global sensation and took the genre to a whole new level. What makes Kishimoto particularly fascinating is that much of his work was inspired by his own life. As a teenager, he apparently wasn't exactly a stranger to fights, which directly influenced his game worlds.
In other words, Kishimoto leaves behind an incredible legacy, one that lives on not only in his own games but also in the DNA of the beat 'em up genre, which he helped shape.
Rest in peace.