The Superblast 3 is a plateless thick shoe for people who want to run from 30km runs to full marathon race day. The sole is about 46.5mm yet 239g, and the maker writes that rebound is up about 15.2% from the previous model. No carbon plate. The official price is JPY 26,400.
The Shoe Nerd's top pick
Buy the Superblast 3 as a race material made into a form you can use daily without a plate. The layer right under the foot is FF LEAP, the same as the Metaspeed. Weight per 1mm of thickness is about 5.1g, 20% lighter than the Nimbus 28's about 6.5g. The reason added thickness does not add weight is written in the material's name.
Key points
- About 10g lighter than before, rebound up about 15.2% (official; men's 27.0cm per foot). The price rose JPY 2,200
- 5mm thicker and 14g lighter than the Novablast 6. The price gap is JPY 8,800
- Standard width only. Sizes are unisex, 22.5 to 32.0cm
The thickest shoe is not the heaviest
Line up ASICS's current road models by thickness and the first is the Superblast 3's about 46.5mm. But re-sort by weight and this shoe moves to the light side. At 239g, it is 59g lighter than the about 40mm Gel-Kayano 33 (298 − 239).
Thick yet light. The reason lies in the upper-layer material that was swapped in the 2026 generation change.
This article reads only the Superblast 3 from official announcements. The other 2026 new releases are collected in the article on ASICS's 6 new 2026 shoes.
Superblast 3 weight and stack? The official numbers
| Item | SUPERBLAST 3 |
|---|---|
| Release date | Mar 1, 2026 (Harajuku, Marunouchi and Ginza stores and the official online store) / Mar 5 (directly operated stores) / Mar 26 (stores nationwide) |
| Official price | JPY 26,400 (incl. tax) |
| Weight | 239g |
| Stack height | About 46.5mm |
| Drop | 8mm |
| Width | Standard only |
| Sizes | 22.5 to 29.0cm (0.5cm steps), 30.0, 31.0, 32.0cm |
| Plate | None |
| Midsole | Top layer FF LEAP / bottom layer FF BLAST PLUS |
The earliest sale was at the ASICS booth of the Tokyo Marathon EXPO 2026 on Feb 26 (for members).
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
ASICS SUPERBLAST 3
Lowest price on Rakuten: JPY 26,400 (as of 10/13). 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 at Super Sports XebioSee it on Rakuten IchibaSuperblast 3 vs 2: what changed from the previous generation
| Item | Superblast 2 | SUPERBLAST 3 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top-layer material | FF TURBO PLUS | FF LEAP | To the race material |
| Weight | 249g (calculated) | 239g | About 10g less |
| Rebound | — | — | About 15.2% more |
| Official price | JPY 24,200 | JPY 26,400 | +JPY 2,200 |
Three calculations.
- Share lighter: 10 ÷ 249 = about 4.0%
- Share of the price rise: 2,200 ÷ 24,200 = about 9.1%
- Extra paid per gram saved: 2,200 ÷ 10 = JPY 220
Looking at the 10g alone, the price rise does not pay off. But the core of this generation change is not weight. It is the maker's own figure of rebound up about 15.2%.
The mechanism: a light material placed in the layer nearest the foot
FF LEAP is a foam ASICS bills as "the lightest" of its cushioning materials. It is used in the Metaspeed for top athletes.
The Superblast 3 puts this in the top layer of the sole, the place nearest the foot. The bottom layer is FF BLAST PLUS, the base of everyday shoes. These 2 layers raise rebound.
The sole rubber is ASICSGRIP. It is also written that bouncy hollows were added where you want rebound on landing. The upper is an engineered woven, a light, stretchy woven fabric.
So what happens? Work out weight per 1mm of thickness and the Superblast 3 is about 5.1g (239 ÷ 46.5). The Nimbus 28 is about 6.5g (281 ÷ 43.5) and the Kayano 33 about 7.5g (298 ÷ 40).
The weight needed to stack the same 1mm is 20 to 30% less. That is why I call this shoe "thickness bought with lightness."
Compared with the Novablast 6 and Megablast
I line up the 3 shoes with "blast" in the name.
| SUPERBLAST 3 | NOVABLAST 6 | MEGABLAST | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stack height | About 46.5mm | About 41.5mm | About 46mm |
| Drop | 8mm | 8mm | 8mm |
| Official price | JPY 26,400 | JPY 17,600 | JPY 27,500 |
| Midsole | FF LEAP+FF BLAST PLUS | FF BLAST MAX plus FF TURBO SQUARED in the forefoot | FF TURBO SQUARED |
Difference from the Novablast 6: The Superblast 3 is 5mm thicker (46.5 − 41.5), 14g lighter (253 − 239) and JPY 8,800 more (26,400 − 17,600). The upcharge to save 14g is about JPY 629 per gram (8,800 ÷ 14).
Let me convert 14g into marathon steps. At a 1m stride, each foot leaves the ground about 21,098 times, so 14 × 21,098 = about 295kg. The difference matters on long running days.
Difference from the Megablast: The thickness differs by only 0.5mm and the price by only JPY 1,100 (27,500 − 26,400). What differs is the material line; the Megablast is FF TURBO SQUARED.
- Mainly daily jogs → Novablast 6. Better not to go with the Superblast 3. You will not run enough distance to use up the JPY 8,800 gap.
- 30km runs, or running a full marathon without a plate → Superblast 3.
- Want a carbon plate → Magic Speed 5. The same FF LEAP goes in the top layer, at 196g.
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
ASICS NOVABLAST 6
The lowest price on Rakuten was JPY 13,200 (as of 10/13). It ranges up to JPY 22,000 depending on the shop. 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 Super Sports XEBIOSee it on Rakuten IchibaSee it on Yahoo! Shopping JapanWhat I like
Thickness and lightness are in the same shoe. About 46.5mm is the thickest of the 11 ASICS shoes whose official numbers this site read. Yet 239g. It gets through 2 things that normally do not coexist by swapping the material.
A race material came down to a plateless shoe. FF LEAP is the material used in the Metaspeed for top athletes. This shoe is the one that lets you use it without the plate's stiffness.
One pair covers a wide range. It is built to handle daily training, tempo runs, jogs and even race day. For someone who does not want to split training and race shoes, it is a sensible choice.
The size range is wide. Unisex from 22.5cm to 32.0cm. You can choose the same shoe for small feet or large feet.
Things to watch
- The price is high. Price per gram is about JPY 110 (26,400 ÷ 239), 1.6 times the Novablast 6's about JPY 70 (17,600 ÷ 253).
- The price rise is large. JPY 2,200, about 9.1%. It is larger than the same year's Nimbus 28, about 5.3%.
- The sole exceeds 40mm. World Athletics' road limit is 40mm. Anyone entering a race involving certified records should settle how it is treated in the competition rules field of the entry guide. What the rule says is written in the article on 10 carbon thick-sole shoes.
- Standard width only. The release has no wide product number.
Who is it for?
Good fit: Someone who wants 1 pair of thick plateless shoes for both long-distance training and races. Someone who wants to run plateless in something thicker than the Novablast.
If your foot collapses inward on landing, the Gel-Kayano 33 fits better. If softness comes first, the Gel-Nimbus 28. For wide feet, or people who run short a few times a week, there are other ways to choose. If you have no complaint about the Superblast 2, wearing it out first is still in time.
A 10g difference over 1 full marathons comes to about 211kg (10 × 21,098). The reason for the JPY 2,200 upcharge is in the rebound.
Price and where to buy
| Model | Official price | Rakuten price range |
|---|---|---|
| SUPERBLAST 3 | JPY 26,400 | JPY 26,400 |
| Superblast 2 (previous generation) | JPY 24,200 (2025/11 release) | — |
| NOVABLAST 6 | JPY 17,600 | JPY 13,200–22,000 |
If FF LEAP is what you want, the 3. The 2's top layer is FF TURBO PLUS, a different material. On Rakuten, check the generation by the "3" or "2" in the product name and the SUPERBLAST 3 in Latin letters.
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
ASICS SUPERBLAST 3
Lowest price on Rakuten: JPY 26,400 (as of 10/13). 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 at Super Sports XebioSee it on Rakuten IchibaFAQ
How does the Superblast 3 fit, and what widths does it come in?
Sizes are unisex, 22.5 to 29.0cm (0.5cm steps) plus 30.0, 31.0 and 32.0cm, with standard width only.
The upper is a stretchy engineered woven whose weave and hole size change by area. Someone who has chosen wide models would consider the Novablast 6, which has a wide.
Does the Superblast 3 have a carbon plate?
No. The sole parts the official release names are 2 layers, FF LEAP and FF BLAST PLUS, and ASICSGRIP rubber. The models with the same FF LEAP that do get a plate are the Magic Speed 5 and Yogiri Speed.
Can the Superblast 3 be used on full marathon race day?
Yes. It also suits runners who enter races as a race shoe. In this site's article on shoes by pace, I placed it as the Sub-5 race shoe. The only point to check in the entry guide of the race you enter is that the sole exceeds 40mm.
