Unironically says “gosh,” “super duper,” “wowee,” and “peeved.” (She/They/It, 22, transfemme, aroace)
Super Lesbian Animal RPG, if you haven’t played it yet.
It probably would’ve been watching Madagascar or Krypto the Superdog, plus playing lots and lots of Animal Crossing, that first got me into anthropomorphic animals as a concept.
As for what got me into the furry fandom, that’d be Zootopia.
I never finished Ultra, but the consensus I’ve heard is that normal SuMo has the better story, Ultra has the better postgame content and is at least somewhat more challenging. Which one is better really depends on what you’re looking for in a Pokémon game.