.jpg?disable=upscale&width=1200&height=630&fit=crop&w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1 "Double Dragon creator Yoshihisa Kishimoto passes away at age 64")
Kunio-kun and Double Dragon creator Yoshihisa Kishimoto has passed away at age 64. According to Famitsu (via Google Translate) Kishimoto’s son took to X (replying to the official Kunio-Kun account) noting that his father had passed on April 2nd.
The designer started his career in the game industry at Data East (with credits including Road Blaster and Cobra Command) before moving on to Technos, where he’s credited with creating Renegade and the original Double Dragon. Both games spawned long-running franchises, and Kishimoto is considered a foundational voice in the beat-em-up genre so beloved in the 80s and 90s.
Later in his career, Kishimoto worked as a freelance designer and founded Plophet Co., Ltd. Some of his more recent credits include work as a director and creative consultant on Double Dragon IV and River City Ransom: Underground respectively, both in 2017. Later credits include special thanks on projects like River City Girls in 2019 and Double Dragon Neon in 2020.