Imperial Japanese Navy Forces
    Rear-Admiral Aritomo Goto

Sentai 6
CA Aoba               Captain Yonejiro Hisamune
CA Furutaka*        Captain Tsutau Araki
CA Kinugasa        Captain Masao Sawa

Desron 3
DD Fubuki*            Commander Musao Yamashita
DD Hatsuyuki         Lt. Commander Tatsuya Yamaguchi

United States Navy Forces
    Rear Admiral Norman Scott

San Francisco (F) CA-38     Captain Charles H. McMorris
Salt Lake City CA-25            Captain Ernest G. Small
Boise CL-47                           Captain Edward J. Moran
Helena CL-50                         Captain Gilbert C. Hoover

Desron 12
    Captain Robert G. Tobin

 Farenholt DD-491 (F)             Lt. Commander Eugene T. Seaward
 Duncan* DD-485                     Lt. Commander Edmund B. Taylor
 Laffey DD-459                         Lt. Commander William E. Hank
 Buchanan DD-484                  Commander Ralph E. Wilson
 McCalla DD-488                     Lt. Commander William G. Cooper

*sunk in this battle

Sources:
1. Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War by E. LaCroix & L. Wells III.
2. A Battle History of the Imperial Navy (1941-1945) by P. Dull.
3. Chronology of the War at Sea 1939-1945 by J. Rohwer & G. Hummelchen.
4. Nihon Kaigun website.
5. Guadalcanal Online website.