There are eighteen colors traditionally associated with the eighteen pokemon types, and they have gained these associations through Kecleon. Kecleon do not control their change of color and type, but seem to disappear when in danger; this usually comes from another pokemon in battle, but Kecleon attacked by metal weapons or who fall from heights will likewise become a glistening, gray steel or turn sky blue and sprout wings. Yet while escaping fights with grass pokemon in tall grass this way is an easy enough adaptation to comprehend, many have struggled to understand why Kecleon will also take on the qualities and coloration of dragon or ghost pokemon, which make them if anything more vulnerable in battle.
Some have suggested this color change is done for intimidation, not camouflage, for dragons in particular stick out against any background. Yet one can not scare off a Dragonite with a Dratini, and a "dragon" as small and weak as most Kecleon would struggle to scare even a Dratini! Others have proposed it to be a side effect, arguing that the extreme rarity of dragons and ghosts relative to other types make this a risk worth taking. Yet close relatives of the Kecleon can be found during the Mesozoic, when dragons were among the most common type of pokemon. Although their ability could theoretically be a late development, this is unlikely, for their ancestors possessed no other apparent way to protect themselves from predators.
Although the debate remains unsettled, many are beginning to take note of the Arceus plates discovered in Sinnoh's underground. and their similarity in color to the Kecleon's own colors. It increasingly appears that Kecleon's color change has a ritual explanation: rather than truly hiding, they channel Arceus' own power to convince predators that killing them would be sacrilege.