# Yoshihisa Kishimoto Passes On

**Source:** Replay Magazine  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2026-04-07  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.replaymag.com/yoshihisa-kishimoto-passes-on/

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## Analysis

Yoshihisa Kishimoto, a legendary arcade game designer known for creating Double Dragon (1987) and other classic beat 'em up titles, passed away on April 2 at age 64. His diverse arcade portfolio included Cobra Command, Renegade, Super Dodge Ball, Blockout, and WWF Wrestlefest across the 1980s and early 1990s.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Yoshihisa Kishimoto died on April 2 at age 64 — _Reported via IGN, confirmed by his son on Facebook_
- [HIGH] Kishimoto created Double Dragon (1987) — _Replay Magazine article, widely documented arcade history_
- [HIGH] Kishimoto created Cobra Command (1984), known as Thunder Storm in Japan, released in U.S. by Data East — _Replay Magazine article_
- [HIGH] Kishimoto's other arcade titles included Renegade (1986), Super Dodge Ball (1987), Blockout (1989), and WWF Wrestlefest (1991) — _Replay Magazine article_
- [MEDIUM] Kishimoto later made games for PlayStation and other home platforms after his arcade career — _Replay Magazine article, not elaborated with specific titles_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Yoshihisa Kishimoto | person | Legendary arcade game designer, creator of Double Dragon and numerous classic arcade beat 'em up titles, died April 2 at age 64 |
| Double Dragon | game | 1987 beat 'em up arcade game, Kishimoto's most famous creation |
| Cobra Command | game | 1984 arcade game by Kishimoto, released in U.S. by Data East, known as Thunder Storm in Japan |
| Renegade | game | 1986 arcade game by Kishimoto |
| Super Dodge Ball | game | 1987 arcade game by Kishimoto |
| Blockout | game | 1989 arcade game by Kishimoto |
| WWF Wrestlefest | game | 1991 arcade game by Kishimoto |
| Data East | company | Publisher/distributor that released Cobra Command in the U.S. |
| IGN | organization | News outlet that reported Kishimoto's death |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Arcade game design history, Beat 'em up genre, Classic arcade titles (1980s-1990s), Video game industry figure death

### Sentiment

**Neutral** (0)

### Signals

- **[historical_signal]** Documentation of influential arcade game designer's legacy and body of work spanning 1980s-1990s arcade golden age (confidence: high) — Comprehensive listing of Kishimoto's arcade titles: Double Dragon, Cobra Command, Renegade, Super Dodge Ball, Blockout, WWF Wrestlefest

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## Transcript

Yoshihisa Kishimoto, the creator of the beat ‘em up arcade Double Dragon (1987) and many others, died on April 2 at age 64, according to IGN. His son reported the sad news on Facebook. While he later made games for PlayStation and other home platforms, Kishimoto got his start in arcades. He made Cobra Command (1984), which was known as Thunder Storm in Japan. The game was released in the U.S. by Data East. Some of his other arcade games included Renegade (1986), Super Dodge Ball (1987), Blockout (1989) and WWF Wrestlefest (1991).

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v4)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: c3a618db-2287-4235-93c0-ed2793b3debb*