Kishimoto died on April 2 at 64
Image via Kunio-kun franchise’s X/Twitter acount
© ARC SYSTEM WORKS
Kunio-kun and Double Dragon series creator Yoshihisa Kishimoto died on April 2, as confirmed by his son on X/Twitter on Sunday. He was 64.
Kishimoto’s son confirmed that there is a private funeral for family members on Tuesday.
Kishimoto’s career debuted in the 1980s at Data East directing games like Cobra Command and Road Blaster. He then began working at Technos Japan Corp where he directed and created the Kunio-kun and Double Dragon beat-’em-up game series. The former includes games such as Renegade, Dodgeball, and River City Ransom. He later worked as a freelancer with the name Plophet, and started a business named after that title. He served as a consultant for games in series that he had created.
Technos Japan released the first game in the Kunio-kun series in May 1986, and the series has had numerous installments since then. Some of the games in the series were localized in the West with altered titles, visuals, and stories, resulting in such titles as River City Ransom, Renegade, and Crash ‘n’ the Boys: Street Challenge. Arc System Works acquired the rights to a number of Technos Japan games — including Double Dragon, Super Dodge Ball, River City Ransom, and Kunio-kun games — in June 2015.
Source: Kunio-kun franchise’s X/Twitter account
