Friends to the Werewolves and similarly part of Nature and the Beast. They are accepted by and can control animals with the Animalism discipline. They are hardy in the face of dire harm the banes of vampires such as fire, with their Fortitude skill. And they can transform themselves with the Protean skill of shapechanging (Feral Claws).
The model for Erik is also used for the Dark Ages Gangrel NPCs and in character creation. There is a Modern Gangrel with blue jeans and a sweatshirt, that Don's a leather jacket at higher armor levels
Among the supernatural creatures, the Werewolves are even more in tune with nature, and they see vampires as twisted and evil afronts to nature. But Gangrel, with their closeness to animal ways, can earn the trust of Werewolves. If Erik is accepted into Christof's party, the Werewolf will not attack them on the way to Vienna.
Concept art, with massive forearms ending in fingers like talons, true to Christof's statement upon introduction to the Gangrel Erik: "More animal than man"
Gangrel are both susceptible and in control of the Beast, more than the other Clans.
Wilhem Streicher begins with, and Christof Romuald soon acquires, knowledge of Protean, a discipline characteristic to the Gangrel Clan.
The beast-man is one of the oldest characters in fiction: it was the nature of Gilgamesh's sidekick Enkidu, and the origins of Sir Percival from Le Morte d'Arthur, a popular retelling of the ancient King Arthur myth, long before Wolverine and such.
Gangrel allied themselves with Tzimisce in their war against the Tremere. We may surmise that an artificially created vampire that furthermore creates its own artifical slaves from vampires (Gargoyles) is anathema to a vampire that is closer to Nature than others, but also Gangrel were a favored source of Gargoyles for the Tremere, used to make both Scouts and Soldiers.