The New Balance SuperComp Rebel is a buy if you want to pile up pace-raising training in a plated shoe. It combines a nylon plate with the new foam Infinion, men's 222g. The 1st generation, released Aug 20, 2026, not the successor to the similarly named FuelCell Rebel v5.
The Shoe Nerd's top pick
Buy the SuperComp Rebel not as the Rebel v5's successor but as the Elite v6's training version. A race shoe's contents are made of 3 things: a plate, cavities inside the sole, and a rebounding foam. The Rebel keeps all 3 and swaps only the plate for nylon, so as a shoe geek I choose it as the 2nd pair for people who wear the Elite in races.
Key points
- Only 4g different from the FuelCell Rebel v5. What JPY 7,040 adds is the nylon plate and Infinion
- Women's is 175g, 47g lighter than men's
- The scenes the maker writes are speed training, tempo runs and daily training. The word race is on the Elite v6's side
SuperComp Rebel weight? The official numbers
On the New Balance shelf, there are 2 Rebels: the FuelCell Rebel v5 and the SuperComp Rebel. The back half of the name is the same, so you tend to think the newer one is the next generation, but it is not.
The SuperComp Rebel is a separate model that first appeared in Aug 2026. The announcement says this shoe will be lined up alongside the FuelCell Rebel v5 at New Balance Harajuku. First, the official numbers.
| Item | Men's | Women's |
|---|---|---|
| Release date | Aug 20, 2026 | |
| Official price (Japan, incl. tax) | JPY 23,980 | JPY 23,980 |
| Weight | 222g | 175g |
| Width | D | B |
| Sizes | 25.0–29.0cm, 30.0cm | 22.0–25.5cm |
| Colors | 3 colors | 3 colors |
| Plate | Nylon | |
Women's is 47g lighter than men's (222 − 175), about a 21% difference (47 ÷ 222).
Divide the official price by weight and it is about JPY 108 per gram (23,980 ÷ 222 = 108.0). I use this number later when comparing with the siblings.
What changed: compared with the FuelCell Rebel v5
There is no previous generation. This shoe is the 1st generation. So I line up the closest by name, the FuelCell Rebel v5, with the eye of "if this were the previous generation." That shows what was added and what was subtracted.
| FuelCell Rebel v5 | SuperComp Rebel | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Release | Jul 1, 2025 | Aug 20, 2026 | About 14 months |
| Foam | FuelCell (blend of PEBA and EVA) | Infinion | — |
| Plate | None | Nylon | — |
| Weight (men's) | 226g | 222g | −4g |
| Official price | JPY 16,940 | JPY 23,980 | +JPY 7,040 |
| Men's width | D, 2E (2E in some colors) | D | No 2E |
The weight changes only about 1.8%. The price differs about 41.6%. That markup is not the price of lightness.
What you pay for is the plate and the foam. The FuelCell Rebel v5 has no plate, and its midsole (the cushioning layer of the sole) was a FuelCell blending PEBA and EVA. The SuperComp Rebel has a nylon plate and Infinion, which claims to keep rebound longer. The thinking behind the contents has moved to the race-shoe side.
Something was subtracted too: the 2E width. The FuelCell Rebel v5 had 2E for both men's and women's, but the SuperComp Rebel has 1 each, men's D and women's B.
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
New Balance FuelCell Rebel v5
Lowest price on Rakuten is JPY 9,326 (as of 10/13), ranging up to JPY 16,940 depending on the shop. Prices change daily. Shoes are best tried on in the evening, when your feet swell, with your usual socks. Fit varies by brand, so check the return and exchange terms on the shop page before you buy.
RecommendedSee it on Rakuten IchibaSee it on Yahoo! Shopping JapanSibling SuperComp Elite v6 compared
Next is the comparison with the SuperComp Elite v6, announced the same day. This is the real older sibling in terms of build.
| SuperComp Rebel | SuperComp Elite v6 | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plate | Nylon | Carbon (full length) | — |
| Foam | Infinion | New compound + Infinion | — |
| Uses stated officially | Speed training, tempo runs, daily training | Racing (marathon) | — |
| Weight (men's) | 222g | 198g | 24g |
| Price per gram | About JPY 108 | About JPY 161 | About JPY 53 |
| Official price | JPY 23,980 | JPY 31,900 | JPY 7,920 |
The SuperComp Rebel is about 12% heavier than the Elite v6 and about 25% cheaper. The price gap is wider than the weight gap.
One thing about the plate mechanism here. According to the announcement, the SuperComp Rebel has a uniquely shaped cavity inside the sole, which works as a pair with the nylon plate to store the force of landing and turn it into forward drive. The cavity's name in this announcement's wording is "Energy Art." It is the part written "Energy Arc" in the previous year's Elite v5 announcement.
In other words, the combination of 3 points, plate, cavity and rebounding foam, is the same type as the Elite. What differs is the plate material. Nylon flexes more than carbon, so it is the same type with a gentler feel.
Split it like this. For the shoe for race day only, the SuperComp Elite v6. For weekly pace-raising training, the SuperComp Rebel. For no plate and wide feet, the FuelCell Rebel v5. For shoes for slow, long days, the 1080v15.
What I like
What I want to praise is how clear its position is. The announcement writes this shoe as a daily training shoe that takes in race-shoe ideas, and lists speed training and tempo runs as scenes. It puts exactly 1 step between race shoes and daily shoes.
Lining up the 3 pairs by official price, it is JPY 7,040 from the Rebel v5 to the SuperComp Rebel, and JPY 7,920 from the SuperComp Rebel to the Elite v6. A 3-step staircase with nearly equal spacing. The difference in step height is only JPY 880 (7,920 − 7,040).
The 2nd is the outsole. The announcement explains it raised grip and durability while keeping lightness. It makes sense that a shoe for piling up distance in training comes with an explanation of lasting. The foam Infinion is also a technology for keeping rebound longer.
The 3rd is the upper. It is written that a streamlined film that changes shape with foot movement is layered over a light, breathable jacquard-style mesh.
Things to watch
The biggest weakness is that there is only 1 width. There is no width a person who wore 2E in the FuelCell Rebel v5 can choose with the same feel.
No previous generation to compare also counts as a weakness. Being the 1st generation, the yardstick "how many g lighter than before" cannot be used. The gap from the Rebel v5 is 4g, so in numbers I can say this is not a shoe to replace for lightness.
Who is it for?
There are 3 conditions. (1) You have a reason to train in a plated shoe. (2) Your width is standard. (3) You can pay the price gap from the Rebel v5 for the plate and foam.
Good fit. Someone who plans to wear the Elite v6 in races and wants training in the same foam. Someone who feels using a carbon shoe in weekly training is a waste. Someone who wants to add 1 dedicated shoe for speed days.
If any of these apply: wide feet, plateless is enough, want to keep the price down. The Rebel v5 fits better.
Price and where to buy
| Model | Official price (Japan, incl. tax) | Rakuten price range |
|---|---|---|
| SuperComp Rebel | JPY 23,980 | — |
| FuelCell Rebel v5 | JPY 16,940 | JPY 9,326–16,940 |
| SuperComp Elite v6 | JPY 31,900 | JPY 28,710–284,800 |
When searching on Rakuten, look at the product name. If it says "FuelCell Rebel," it is the v5 line; if it says "SuperComp Rebel" or the product number MREBX or WREBX, it is this shoe. Search with just the one word Rebel and the two mix.
On sizes, men's 30.0cm is 1 color only, CREAM/GRAY. For people with big feet, size decides before color.
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
New Balance SuperComp Elite v6
Lowest price on Rakuten is JPY 28,710 (as of 10/13), ranging up to JPY 284,800 depending on the shop. Prices change daily.
RecommendedSee it on Rakuten IchibaSee it on Yahoo! Shopping JapanFAQ
How does the SuperComp Rebel fit?
Width is 1 only, men's D and women's B. The official lineup is men's width D at 25.0 to 29.0cm and 30.0cm (CREAM/GRAY only), and women's width B at 22.0 to 25.5cm. Width is 1 for men and women. There is no width equivalent to the Rebel v5's men's 2E and women's D and 2E. It is a shoe for people for whom standard width fits, starting from the same length.
What is the difference between the SuperComp Rebel and the FuelCell Rebel v5?
They are different shoes with a different plate and foam, and the v5 has not become outdated. The SuperComp Rebel's announcement itself says it will line up alongside the Rebel v5 in stores. Their roles are split: the plateless one with 2E and the lower price is the current model.
Can the SuperComp Rebel be used in races?
The scenes it assumes are speed training, tempo runs and daily training. What was announced as a race shoe was the Elite v6 side. It is 24g heavier than the Elite v6 and the plate is nylon. If you race in it, it is a choice made knowing that difference. A comparison extending to other makers is in the article on recommended shoes for 2026.
