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Yoshihisa Kishimoto, Creator of Double Dragon and Renegade, Dies at 64
The developer shaped the beat-'em-up genre with Renegade and Double Dragon, two franchises that spawned sequels, ports, remakes and crossovers.
- Game developer Yoshihisa Kishimoto, often called the 'grandfather of the beat,' passed away at 64 on Thursday, April 2. Famitsu magazine and biographer Florent Gorges confirmed his death.
- Kishimoto began his career at Data East before producing iconic titles at TechnMs, including Renegade and Double Dragon. These games defined the beat 'em up genre with martial arts and urban brawling elements.
- Revolutionizing arcade games, his design work introduced a "scrolling" ingredient allowing players to maneuver through isometric spaces. Kishimoto stated "There was a girl and she dumped me," which fueled his creative drive.
- Kishimoto's legacy extends beyond his own franchises, significantly influencing major titles like Street Fighter, Streets, and Ninja Turtle. His mechanics established a template that subsequent developers followed for decades.
- After TechnMs collapsed in 1996, Kishimoto worked as a freelancer while occasionally consulting on later series entries like 2017's Double Dragon sequels. He remained influential until his recent passing.
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Yoshihisa Kishimoto, a pioneering video game developer whose work left a lasting mark on both gaming and wrestling culture, has passed away at the age of 64. His death was confirmed to have occurred on April 2, with the news shared publicly by his family. Kishimoto’s passing was announced by his son, Ryūbō Kishimoto, in a statement posted on social media. “I am sorry to inform you that my father has passed to rest on 04/02/2026,” he wrote, also …
Yoshihisa Kishimoto, the creator of the famous Double Dragon and Kunio-kun sagas, has passed away at sixty-four years of age. Read more
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Total News Sources13
Leaning Left2Leaning Right0Center1Last UpdatedBias Distribution67% Left
Bias Distribution
- 67% of the sources lean Left
67% Left
L 67%
C 33%
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