Persona was based on the Shin Megami Tensei If setting .
Persona began as a spin-off based on the positively-received setting of Shin Megami Tensei If ... . Its trademark features include a high school setting , a group of students as the protagonists , a silent protagonist similar to the mainline Megami Tensei franchise , and combat using Personas .
Persona -LRB-series-RRB-