Double Dragon & River City series creator Yoshihisa Kishimoto passes away at 64

Kishimoto's passing came as preparations to celebrate the River City's 40th anniversary were underway.

Yoshihisa Kishimoto, recognized for creating the Double Dragon and River City franchises, passed away late last week. His son, Ryubo, announced his father's passing, which was confirmed by Japanese outlet Famitsu shortly afterward. Kishimoto was 64 years old.

Ryubo Kishimoto posted the following on X (formerly Twitter) (via Game Informer) underneath a post celebrating the 40th anniversary of the River City (known as Kunio-kun in Japan) series:

"I am the son of Yoshihisa Kishimoto, director of the passionate, hardcore Kunio-kun series. I am writing to inform you that my father passed away on April 2, 2026. Please feel free to contact me anytime if you need to confirm details or anything else. Thank you so much for sharing so much information over the years for the Kunio-kun fans. We appreciate your continued support moving forward."

Kishimoto's career began with Data East, helping create arcade classics Cobra Command and Road Blaster. He would then start designing brawlers, partially based on his own real life experiences, which led to the River City and Double Dragon games. Kishimoto remained active on those franchises through the end of the 2010s, according to Moby Games. He was credited as the director of 2017's Double Dragon 4 and a director collaborator on 2019's Stay Cool, Kobayashi-san!: A River City Ransom Story.

Shacknews sends condolences to Kishimoto's family and express gratitude for his incredible career.

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