The ASICS METASLEEK is the 1 pair you add if you've ended up with only plated max-cushion shoes and want training where your own foot pushes the ground. Early release at the ASICS official online store on Aug 20, 2026, JPY 19,800. No plate, and the sole is about 29 mm at its thickest.
The Shoe Nerd's top pick
I'd buy the METASLEEK as a trainer that deliberately leaves less to the shoe. The plate is gone and the sole is thinned to about 29 mm, putting the job of pushing the ground back on your foot. Even so, the foam is still the springy FF TURBO SQUARED. Because it kept a thin sole that still bounces, 1 pair can cover jogs through speed work. If I'm putting something next to my plated shoes, this is the one.
Key points
- Max stack is about 29 mm. That's 10.5 mm thinner than the YOGIRI SPEED (about 39.5 mm), the next thinnest of ASICS' new releases this year
- No plate. Foam is FF TURBO SQUARED, and the rubber is ASICSGRIP, designed with dirt paths in mind
- Sold only at the official online store, 3 brand stores and SteP SPORTS, in 1 color and standard width only
In a year of max-cushion shoes, ASICS made a thin one
ASICS' 2026 releases are all shoes with a sole around 40 mm. The NOVABLAST 6 is about 41.5 mm, the SONICBLAST 2 is 46 mm and the GEL-SLOWCUSH is about 48 mm.
Among them, only the METASLEEK is about 29 mm. And it has no plate. It's a training shoe that came out of what athletes and coaches said at CHOJO CAMP, ASICS' training camp in Kenya.
Here we read only the METASLEEK. The other new releases this year are lined up in our ASICS 2026 new releases article.
When does the METASLEEK come out? Price and official figures
| Item | METASLEEK |
|---|---|
| Release date | Aug 20, 2026 (early at the official online store) / Aug 27 (general release at 3 brand stores and SteP SPORTS) |
| Official price | JPY 19,800 |
| Weight | 129g |
| Max stack height | About 29 mm |
| Drop | 8mm |
| Plate | None |
| Width | Standard only |
| Sizes | 22.5 to 29.0 cm (0.5 cm steps), 30.0 cm (unisex) |
The foam is FF TURBO SQUARED, the ground-contact rubber is ASICSGRIP, and the foot-wrapping side is Motion Wrap Upper 3.0.
The 129 g is the weight on the U.S. product page, and not a figure for a 27.0 cm single shoe. I don't use it for 1 g-level comparisons with other shoes, and only read it as a shoe on the light side.
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
ASICS METASLEEK
The lowest price on Rakuten was JPY 19,800 (as of 10/13). Prices move daily. Try shoes on in the evening, when your feet swell, with your usual socks. Fit differs by brand, so read the shop's return and exchange terms before you buy.
RecommendedSee it on Rakuten IchibaSee it on Yahoo! Shopping JapanIs there a previous model? A pair from a new line
The METASLEEK is the first generation, so there's no earlier one. The ones to compare against are this year's plate-free and plated ASICS shoes.
There's 1 mechanism readers may not know. The forefoot of this shoe deliberately doesn't have the shape that rolls your foot forward for you. The shape is for creating your own propulsion without borrowing the shoe's help. The work that was left to a plate and a curved forefoot goes back to your foot.
To make up for that, the cushioning comes from the material. FF TURBO SQUARED is a rebound foam used in the NOVABLAST 6's forefoot and the upper layer of the SONICBLAST 2.
How it differs from the NOVABLAST 6 and YOGIRI SPEED
| METASLEEK | NOVABLAST 6 | YOGIRI SPEED | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plate | None | None | Carbon |
| Stack height | About 29 mm | About 41.5 mm | About 39.5 mm |
| Drop | 8mm | 8mm | 5mm |
| Official price | JPY 19,800 | JPY 17,600 | JPY 24,200 |
| Width | Standard | Standard / wide | Standard |
Versus the NOVABLAST 6: neither has a plate, and the drop is the same 8 mm. The difference is thickness: the METASLEEK is 12.5 mm thinner (41.5 − 29). The METASLEEK costs JPY 2,200 more (19,800 − 17,600).
- Slow jogs, soft and long → NOVABLAST 6
- Jogs and fast workouts in the same shoe, feeling the ground → METASLEEK
Versus the YOGIRI SPEED: the YOGIRI SPEED is a carbon-plated shoe for racing a sub-4-hour full marathon. It's 10.5 mm thicker than the METASLEEK (39.5 − 29) and JPY 4,400 more (24,200 − 19,800). The roles are opposite, so you pair them: one for race day and one for training.
- Race day, when you want a plate's help → YOGIRI SPEED
- Non-race days, building a stride that doesn't lean on a plate → METASLEEK
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
ASICS YOGIRI SPEED
Lowest price on Rakuten: JPY 21,200 (as of 10/13). Depending on the shop it goes up to JPY 24,200. Prices change daily. Try shoes in the evening, when your feet swell, with your usual socks. Sizing varies by brand, so check the shop's return and exchange terms before you buy.
RecommendedSee it on Rakuten IchibaSee it on Yahoo! Shopping JapanWhat I like
It's thin, but the foam isn't skimped. A JPY 19,800 trainer gets the same springy foam as the higher models. It's a thin sole tilted toward bounce rather than the hardness thin shoes often have.
Rubber that thought about dirt paths. The rubber is ASICSGRIP, chosen with use on unpaved paths in mind. The sole aims at both grip and durability, so you can take it out on riverside or park dirt loops.
Its role is clear. It narrows its use to everything from everyday running to speed work, a shoe for how you use your feet and for movement building. By my yardstick at 500 km a month, I pick a trainer by "what I don't leave to the shoe." Few shoes state that answer this plainly.
Things to watch
- Few shops sell it. Only the official online store, 3 brand stores (Flagship Shinjuku, Harajuku, and ASICS Run Tokyo Marunouchi) and SteP SPORTS. It's hard to pick up and choose at a store near you.
- 1 width and 1 color. Standard only, with no wide. The color is just black/white.
- Its role is separate from a race-day shoe. It's a plate-free trainer, so on days you're chasing a time, the premise is that you pair it with a plated shoe.
Who is the METASLEEK for?
- A good fit for: runners who own a plated max-cushion shoe for races and find their everyday training has started to feel the same. Runners who want to cover jogs and speed work in 1 pair while feeling the ground. Runners who want to enjoy the 129 g lightness and springy foam in everyday training.
If most of your days are slow, long and on a soft sole, the NOVABLAST 6, 12.5 mm thicker, is another way to go.
Price and where to buy
| Model | Official price | Rakuten price range |
|---|---|---|
| METASLEEK | JPY 19,800 | JPY 19,800 |
| NOVABLAST 6 | JPY 17,600 | JPY 13,200–22,000 |
| YOGIRI SPEED | JPY 24,200 | JPY 21,200–24,200 |
When you buy on Rakuten, choosing the Rakuten shop of SteP SPORTS, one of the sellers, keeps you inside the authorized channel. The model number is 1013A202.
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
ASICS METASLEEK
The lowest price on Rakuten was JPY 19,800 (as of 10/13). Prices move daily. Try shoes on in the evening, when your feet swell, with your usual socks. Fit differs by brand, so read the shop's return and exchange terms before you buy.
RecommendedSee it on Rakuten IchibaSee it on Yahoo! Shopping JapanFAQ
When does the METASLEEK come out?
It had an early release at the ASICS official online store on Aug 20, 2026, and general release on Aug 27 at 3 brand stores and SteP SPORTS. The price is JPY 19,800, tax included.
How does the METASLEEK fit?
Sizes run 22.5 to 29.0 cm in 0.5 cm steps, plus 30.0 cm, unisex. Width is standard only. If you wear ASICS wide, the NOVABLAST 6, which comes in wide, is the shortcut.
What's the difference between the METASLEEK and the NOVABLAST 6?
Both have no plate and an 8 mm drop, and the difference is thickness. The METASLEEK is about 29 mm, 12.5 mm thinner than the NOVABLAST 6. If you choose by softness, the NOVABLAST 6; if you choose by ground feel, the METASLEEK. The numbers for plated shoes are compared in our max-cushion carbon article.
Gear in this article
Ads and images: Rakuten Ichiba
Sources
- ASICS news release: METASLEEK (Aug 13, 2026)
- ASICS news release materials: METASLEEK (PDF, product overview)
- ASICS official Japan site: METASLEEK product page (maximum sole thickness, price)
- ASICS U.S. official site: METASLEEK product page (weight, drop)
- ASICS news release: NOVABLAST 6 (Jul 2, 2026)
- ASICS news release: YOGIRI SPEED (Sep 3, 2026)
