Farewell to a Downtown Nekketsu legend
Japanese developer Miracle Kidz!has reported the sad newsthat its president, Mitsuhiro Yoshida, passed away “suddenly” on August 30. Yoshida, who has been part of the games industry for many decades, is best known as the co-director of one of the most popular brawlers in history,River City Ransom.
Described by his Miracle Kidz! colleagues as the “father” of theDowntown Nekketsufranchise, Yoshida — alongside co-director Hiroyuki Sekimoto — may not have been responsible for the creation of theKunio-kunfranchise, but certainly helmed its most well-known and widely played entry.River City Ransom, (known in its native Japan asDowntown Nekketsu Monogatari) launched on the NES in 1989 and is one of the first titles to marry the belt-scrolling brawler action of the series with a non-linear RPG structure. The international success ofRCRhelped paved the way for a slew of sequels and spin-offs.
Miracle Kidz President, Mitsuhiro Yoshida (吉田晄浩) passed away suddenly on August 30.
He was the creator of the “River City Ransom(Downtown Nekketsu)” series.pic.twitter.com/C70jTbbhej
— ミラクルキッズ！公式アカウント (@miracle_kidz)Jun 20, 2025
Yoshida would continue to work with the franchise, directing the goofy NES port ofNekketsu Koko Dodgeball(Super Dodge Ball), before starting up a studio comprised of many former employees of old-school developer Technos Japan. Since founding Miracle Kidz!, Yoshida has continued to work on several titles set both in and out of theKunio-kununiverse, and was reportedly working on a new game right up until his untimely passing.
As a mainstay of any NES owner’s catalog,River City Ransomhas provided brawler fans with hours upon hours of double-fisted action — paving the way for the series’ enduring appeal, recognized today in the form of WayForward’s popularRiver City Girlsfranchise.
We at Destructoid offer our condolences to his family and friends.
