Beat ’em up pioneer and Double Dragon creator Yoshihisa Kishimoto has died at 64

Yoshihisa Kishimoto, credited as one of the main pioneers of the beat ’em up genre, has died aged 64. Kishimoto’s career as a developer started in the early 1980s, and his early works included Laserdisc FMV games Cobra Command and Road Blaster, both of which were released in 1984 and would be ported to the Mega CD nearly a decade later (the latter was renamed Road Avenger in the West). It was his work in the beat ’em up genre where Kishimoto made his name, however. He was the designer and director of Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun, the 1986 game which was renamed Renegade in the West. The Kunio-kun series would spawn numerous sequels and spin-offs over the years, including River City Ransom. Read More...

Apr 7, 2026 - 17:10

Beat ’em up pioneer and Double Dragon creator Yoshihisa Kishimoto has died at 64

Yoshihisa Kishimoto, credited as one of the main pioneers of the beat ’em up genre, has died aged 64.

Kishimoto’s career as a developer started in the early 1980s, and his early works included Laserdisc FMV games Cobra Command and Road Blaster, both of which were released in 1984 and would be ported to the Mega CD nearly a decade later (the latter was renamed Road Avenger in the West).

It was his work in the beat ’em up genre where Kishimoto made his name, however. He was the designer and director of Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun, the 1986 game which was renamed Renegade in the West. The Kunio-kun series would spawn numerous sequels and spin-offs over the years, including River City Ransom.

Read More...

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