‘Bomberman,’ ‘Beyblade’ character designer passes away at age 58

Image: Konami

Modern character designer for “Bomberman” Shoji Mizuno passed away at age 58.

Word of Mizuno’s passing came from a tweet dated June 12 by the official “Bomberman” franchise Twitter account. The tweet suggested Mizuno passed away on June 10.

“Mr. Shoji Mizuno, who was deeply involved in the production of the ‘Bomberman’ series since the Hudson era, died the other day. We would like to thank you for making wonderful work. May you rest in peace.” Image: Twitter/@bomberman573

A former member of video game company Hudson Soft, creators of the “Bomberman” franchise, Mizuno is credited for creating the modern depiction of classic game character Bomberman. His design gave Bomberman a leaner and taller build most modern gamers recognize today. Before Mizuno, Bomberman had a shorter design reminiscent of game sprites, according to a report on video gaming outlet Siliconera.

Konami currently handles the “Bomberman” franchise. The most recent game from the series, “Super Bomberman R,” became available for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC via Steam on June 14. The game first came out in March 2017 as an exclusive title for the Nintendo Switch.

Image: Konami

Mizuno was also involved in the creative process for the “Bomberman Jetters” and “Beyblade” anime series. Alfred Bayle /ra

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