Yoshihisa Kishimoto, architect of the beat 'em up blueprint with Double Dragon and the Kunio-kun series, died on April 2 at age 64. His son confirmed the news on X over the weekend, with Famitsu picking it up shortly after. No cause was shared, but the gaming world felt the punch.

Kishimoto shaped arcade history at Technos Japan. Kunio-kun launched in 1985 as a delinquent brawler with RPG elements that became River City Ransom in the West. Double Dragon followed in '87, popularizing co-op side-scrolling fisticuffs that every Streets of Rage knockoff chased. Later, as president of Plophet, he kept the flame alive on ports and revivals.

Tributes hit fast. X filled with RIPs and clips from his classics, fans calling him the 'grandfather of the beat 'em up.' Reddit threads in r/Games and r/arcade mourn a pioneer gone too soon. The industry pauses, then queues up another round.

His work wasn't flashy reinvention—just solid punches that stuck. Modern co-op brawlers owe him royalties they never paid.