The BBC's Dragons' Den was based on the Japanese television format Money Tigers. The Japanese programme, known as Money no Tora, established the basic idea of entrepreneurs presenting business proposals to wealthy investors.
Money no Tora aired in Japan before the format was adapted internationally. Its title is commonly translated into English as Money Tigers, reflecting the investors' role as powerful and demanding business figures. The UK version changed the branding and called its investors Dragons, a name associated with wealth and authority.
The central structure remained recognizable: entrepreneurs ask for a specific amount of money in exchange for a stated share of their business. The investors can question the proposal, make offers, negotiate together or decline to invest. This format makes valuation and negotiation part of the entertainment.
Dragons' Den later became one of several international versions of the format. The American adaptation is known as Shark Tank, but that is not the original Japanese title. Money Tigers is therefore the specific source-format name rather than a nickname for the BBC series.