I played it too as a kid. Yep! Totally unrelated, just convergent evolution. The Japanese armed forces are called the JSDF; Japan’s Self-Defense Force (because after WWII, part of their surrender included agreeing to disband their army, so they instead created a Self-Defense Force that’s deeefinitely not an army). So clearly, the guys who protect the whole Earth are the Earth Defense Force!
I played it too as a kid. Yep! Totally unrelated, just convergent evolution. The Japanese armed forces are called the JSDF; Japan’s Self-Defense Force (because after WWII, part of their surrender included agreeing to disband their army, so they instead created a Self-Defense Force that’s deeefinitely not an army). So clearly, the guys who protect the whole Earth are the Earth Defense Force!