Kanetsugu Naoe is a retainer of the Uesugi clan who served Kenshin and his successor, Kagekatsu. He is best known for convincing Kagekatsu to join forces with the Toyotomi, allegedly writing a scathing letter to Ieyasu before Sekigahara. After his death, he is acknowledged as the retainer whose efforts protected the Uesugi line. Contemporary fiction may have him act as Kagekatsu's faithful messenger and political spokesman. His Nobunaga's Ambition counterpart is thirty-first place in Gamecity's character popularity ranking for 2015.