is a Japanese

video game developer A video game developer is a broad term for a software developer specializing in video game development – the process and related disciplines of creating video games. A game developer can range from one person who undertakes all tasks to a large ...

known primarily for his involvement with Technos Japan Corp. He is best known for his work on

beat 'em up The beat 'em up (also known as brawler and, in some markets, beat 'em all) is a video game genre featuring hand-to-hand combat against a large number of opponents. Traditional beat 'em ups take place in scrolling, two-dimensional (2D) levels, ...

games, as the original creator of the ''

Kunio-kun The series (typically localized as ''River City'') is a video game series started by Technōs Japan. The series is now handled by Arc System Works who purchased all of the intellectual property rights from Technōs' successor, Million Corp. The ...

'' and ''

Double Dragon is a beat 'em up video game series initially developed by Technōs Japan and released as an arcade game in 1987. The series features twin martial artists, Billy and Jimmy Lee, as they fight against various adversaries and rivals. The original ...

'' game franchises, having worked on the original

arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware ** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board * Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games * ...

and

NES The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in American ...

installments in both series. While not the first side-scrolling martial arts

action games An action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes a large variety of sub-genres, such as fighting games, beat 'em ups, shooter games, and platform gam ...

(predated by '' Kung-Fu Master''), they established the general template and conventions used by the beat 'em up genre since the late 1980s. He has thus sometimes been referred to as the grandfather of the beat 'em up genre. He is currently the President and Representative Director of a game company called Plophet.

Biography

In his teenage years as a

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

student, he used to regularly get into fights on a daily basis, which was partly triggered by a

break-up A relationship breakup, breakup, or break-up is the termination of a relationship. The act is commonly termed "dumping omeone in slang when it is initiated by one partner. The term is less likely to be applied to a married couple, where a brea ...

with a girl who dumped him. Kishimoto was also a fan of

Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (; born Lee Jun-fan, ; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that ...

Hong Kong martial arts films Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Hong Kong film industry's global fame. Action films from Hong Kong have roots in Chinese and Hong Kong cultures including Chinese opera, storytelling and aesthetic traditions, which Hong K ...

, particularly ''

Enter the Dragon ''Enter the Dragon'' ( zh, t=龍爭虎鬥) is a 1973 martial arts film directed by Robert Clouse and written by Michael Allin. The film stars Bruce Lee, John Saxon and Jim Kelly. It was Lee's final completed film appearance before his death o ...

'' (1973). These were formative influences that would later form the basis for his beat 'em up games ''Kunio-kun'' and ''Double Dragon''. Kishimoto began his video game designing career in the early 1980s after being employed by

Data East , also abbreviated as DECO, was a Japanese video game, pinball and electronic engineering company. The company was in operation from 1976 to 2003, and released 150 video game titles. Its main headquarters were located in Suginami, Tokyo. The Am ...

, where he worked on the arcade laserdisc video games ''

Cobra Command Cobra (sometimes referred to as Cobra Command) is a fictional terrorist organization and the nemesis of the G.I. Joe Team in the Hasbro action figure toyline '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' and '' G.I. Joe: Sigma 6'', as well as in related ...

'' (also known as ''Thunder Storm'') and ''

Road Blaster is an interactive movie video game developed by Data East featuring animation by Toei Animation, originally released exclusively in Japan as a laserdisc-based arcade game in 1985. The player assumes the role of a vigilante who must avenge the de ...

''. After leaving Data East, Kishimoto was employed by Technos Japan Corp. During his time on the company, he worked on the video games ''

Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun , released as ''Renegade'' in the West, is a beat 'em up video game developed by Technōs Japan and distributed by Taito for the arcades in 1986. In the original Japanese version ''Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun'', the game revolves around a high-scho ...

'' (released in an altered form outside Japan under the title of ''

Renegade Renegade or The Renegade may refer to: Aircraft *Lake Renegade, an American amphibious aircraft design *Murphy Renegade, a Canadian ultralight biplane design *Southern Aeronautical Renegade, an American racing aircraft design Games *'' Comman ...

'') and ''

''. Both ''Kunio-kun'' and ''Double Dragon'' went on to become the main game franchises of Technos and helped established the side-scrolling

beat-'em-up The beat 'em up (also known as brawler and, in some markets, beat 'em all) is a video game genre featuring hand-to-hand combat against a large number of opponents. Traditional beat 'em ups take place in scrolling, two-dimensional (2D) levels, ...

game genre (known as

belt scroll In computer displays, filmmaking, television production, and other kinetic displays, scrolling is sliding text, images or video across a monitor or display, vertically or horizontally. "Scrolling," as such, does not change the layout of the text ...

action game genre in Japan). After leaving Technos during the 1990s, Kishimoto worked as a freelance game designer and producer for various game companies while working under the trade name of Plophet. In 2000, he began working as a game developer for the "Plus e" platform, a computer terminal distributed to family restaurants in Japan. During his freelance career, he also acted as producer for budget games released in Japan, such as ''The Dungeon RPG'' for the

PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...

and ''Rogue: Hearts Dungeon'' for the

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...

. On April 1, 2010, Kishimoto founded Plophet Co., Ltd., a self-employed company named after the trade name he used during his freelance days. He has served as a creative consultant for sequels to Technos' former IPs such as ''

Double Dragon Neon ''Double Dragon Neon'' is a 2012 beat 'em up video game in the ''Double Dragon'' series. It was developed by WayForward Technologies and published by Majesco Entertainment, and is a reboot of the ''Double Dragon'' series. It was the first game i ...

'' and ''River City Ransom: Underground''.River City Ransom: Underground page
/ref>

Works

* ''Pro Soccer'' (1982, arcade) – Sub-director * ''

'' (1984, Laserdisc) – Director * ''

'' (1986, arcade) – Director * ''Renegade'' (1987, NES) – Director * ''

'' (1987, arcade) – Director * '' Super Dodge Ball'' (1987, arcade) – Director * ''Double Dragon'' (1988, NES) – Director * ''China Gate'' (1988, arcade) – Director * ''

U.S. Championship V'Ball ''U.S. Championship V'Ball'', also known simply as ''V'Ball'', is a 1988 beach volleyball sports game released for the arcades by Technōs Japan Corporation. The arcade version was distributed in North America by Taito. A Nintendo Entertainme ...

'' (1988, arcade) – Director * '' Double Dragon II: The Revenge'' (1988, arcade) – Director * ''

WWF Superstars is a List of wrestling video games, wrestling video game manufactured by Technōs Japan and released for arcade game, arcades in 1989. It is the first WWE, WWF arcade game to be released. A series of unrelated games with the WWF Superstars (Game ...

'' (1989, arcade) – Director * ''Super Spike V'Ball'' (1989, NES) – Production Manager * '' Double Dragon II: The Revenge'' (1989, NES) – Producer * ''

Blockout ''Blockout'' is a puzzle video game published in 1989 by California Dreams. It was developed in Poland by Aleksander Ustaszewski and Mirosław Zabłocki. American Technos published an arcade version. ''Blockout'' is an unlicensed, 3D version of ...

'' (1989, arcade) – Producer * '' Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones'' (1991, NES) – Director * ''

WWF Wrestlefest is a professional wrestling video game developed and released by Technōs Japan for arcades in 1991, featuring stars of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). The game was distributed by Technōs in Japan and North America, and by Tecmo in Japa ...

'' (1991, arcade) – Director * ''Sugoro Quest: The Quest of Dice Heros'' (1991, Famicom) – Producer * ''Shodai Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun'' (1992, Super Famicom) – Producer * '' Super Bowling'' (1992, Super NES) – Producer * '' Super Double Dragon'' (1992, Super NES) – Direct Support * '' The Combatribes'' (1992, Super NES) – Producer * '' Shin Nekketsu Kōha: Kunio-tachi no Banka'' (1994, Super Famicom) – Director * ''Sugoro Quest ++: Dicenics'' (1994, Super Famicom) – Producer * ''Othello World 2:Yume to Michi e no Chōsen'' (1995, PlayStation) – Producer * '' Chō Aniki: Kyūkyoku Muteki Ginga Saikyō Otoko'' (1995, PlayStation) – Producer * ''Chō Aniki: Kyūkyoku... Otoko no Gyakushū'' (1996, Sega Saturn) – Producer * ''Slam Dragon'' (1996, PlayStation) – Producer * '' Cowboy Bebop'' (1998, PlayStation) – Producer * ''Gunya Gunya'' (1999, PC) – Producer * ''Simple 1500 Series Vol. 28: The Dungeon RPG'' (2000, PlayStation) – Development Producer and Director * ''Bau Nyā Chū'' (2000, PC) – Producer * ''River City Ransom: Underground'' (2014, PC, Mac) – Creative Consultant * ''

Double Dragon IV is a beat 'em up video game in the ''Double Dragon'' series for PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One. Gameplay In addition to a story mode, the game includes a two-player duel mode and a tower battle mode. Enemies ...

'' (2017, PlayStation 4, PC, Switch) – Director

References

* *

External links

Yoshihisa Kishimoto's personal homepage

Plophet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kishimoto, Yoshihisa Japanese video game designers 1961 births Living people