The Uesugi family's non blood relatives included Kenshin UESUGI who was Kagetora's stepfather and was popularly called 'Echigo no ryu' (literally, dragon in Echigo), Yoshiharu HATAKEYAMA and Kagekuni YAMAURA who had been adopted by Kenshin like Kagetora and Kagekatsu.
上杉家側の義理の一族は、景虎の養父で「越後の龍」と云われた上杉謙信、景虎や景勝と同様に謙信の養子である畠山義春、山浦景国が挙げられる。