Are Lillie, Dawn, Lucas, Lyra and Ethan rivals? If not, then what are they?

[Kathylikestoread]

Bulbapedia says that they're friend characters, but it also says that the rivals are friend characters as well. I mean, they do battle you, but not as much as rival characters like Serena or Silver. And what is a friend character anyways?

 

[Eitarou]

A rival is explicitly defined as:

a person or thing competing with another for the same objective or for superiority in the same field of activity.

So no, it makes little sense to label someone as non-confrontational as Lillie as a rival.

And nothing says a character can’t be both a friend and a rival. Just because two people are competing over something doesn’t mean they have to hate each other.

 

[RichestAirPirate]

No. Absolutely not. They are not rival characters.
Heck, aside from Lucas and Dawn, who are post game battles in BDSP that are only fought after entering the hall of fame like 10 times, you never fight them.

what is a friend character anyways?

A friend character is part of the supporting cast. They don't battle you but do occasionally show up to assist you or do their own thing. For example, Ethan and Lyra pop in on occasion to give advice, Dawn and Lucas help you out in multi battles, and Lillie has her own entire character arc.