Explanation: In the Super Mario games, made by Japanese company Nintendo, one of the main enemies are turtles, and the usual boss, Bowser, is himself a giant spiked turtle who spits fire.
... in the 16th century AD, Japan's invasion of Korea (the Imjin War) was foiled in part by a series of naval disasters inflicted by Korean 'Turtle Ships' which were spiked, armored warships armed with heavy cannons.
(Bowser is not actually based on the Turtle Ship, but the similarity is funny)