Asics Novablast 5 Review: Strength in Softness

Intro to the Asics Novablast 5

ROBBE: Depending on your income status and your willingness to invest in a depreciating asset, you may lease a new car every year or buy a used one every ten. Either way, there’s a feeling that comes with buying a new car, whether that’s the newest model off the line or a traditional sedan handed down from another owner. It’s a change, it’s something fresh, and it’s exciting.

In the same way that EV fans look forward to the newest Tesla or Rivian R3X or even Scout Motors, or the dirt division here at Believe in the Run are stoked on the potential comeback of the Subaru Baja, so we were on the original Asics Novablast when we first tried it way back in 2020.

That shoe was fresh and new and exciting; in hindsight, it was the line in the sand that separated the stale and sluggish Asics of the 2010’s and the purposeful and forward-thinking version of the brand since then.

The first couple versions of the Novablast were a bit wild, like an unruly lion cub that needed to be tamed, mostly due to the highly unstable midsole. Asics dialed things in for the next two versions, and the Asics Novablast 4 was one of the best daily trainers of last year. That said, there’s always room for improvement, so we were hoping this new version of the shoe would take things to the next level.

And it does, to a degree. But in other areas it holds itself back, a victim of its own design. More on that later.

For now, let’s look at the details and changes of the Novablast 5. We’ll start with the biggest change, the Flytefoam Blast Max midsole. Last year’s version had a Flytefoam Blast Plus Eco midsole, which was a bit more dense than we’d liked, though that was in comparison to the bouncier midsole in the Novablast 3. What we have now is the FF Blast Max, which debuted in the Glideride Max, a max cushion cruiser that came out earlier this year. It’s a softer, more comfortable, and lighter foam all-around. 

The upper is an engineered jacquard mesh which is lightweight and breathable, while the outsole is the same Ahar Lo rubber used in the last version, just with a slightly different pattern and coverage. In terms of weight, it’s virtually the same as last year, with slight variations in production models. We weighed our versions of the Novablast 4 and 5 here in the office and they were identical in weight.

Let’s see if this thing is a Baja Blast of fun or a DOA Cybertruck stuck in the backcountry.

THOMAS: We have a special relationship with the Novablast here at BITR. The first one reignited our interest in Asics. Up until the Novablast, things had become stale with the legacy brand. As Robbe mentioned above, the Novablast signaled a sea change. The new direction made us eager to see what else Asics had up its sleeve.

Since then, Asics has deepened its lineup and put out banger after banger. In some ways, that creates a problem for the 5th edition of the Novablast. For a few years, the Novablast was one of my favorite models Asics had ever produced. It looked great and with a simple slab of foam, it felt great. However, I’ll be the first to admit the Superblast has spoiled me, and the Novablast’s magic has faded a little. Don’t get me wrong, I still have a soft spot for the Novablast, especially at the $140 price tag. But, I’m ready to be more critical of the daily trainer.

What We Liked About the Asics Novablast 5

ROBBE: According to Asics, people were fawning over the plum and pink launch colorway of the Novablast 5, which aligned with a Bandit Running collab for the New York City Marathon. I’m neither here nor there on it; I do like the color combo, I just find it hard to pair with a running kit, which is super important when you’re running in the dark and you’re trying to impress raccoons and barred owls and tranq zombies and roadkill.

I can tell you that more traditional color schemes are arriving soon, including all-black, all-white, and an enticing teal/black version. Side note: I’d love to see a solid tiger stripe make a comeback on the trainers (as they’ve done with the Metaspeed), and we may as well kick off 2025 with another evergreen request to make a Kill Bill colorway of any running shoe, I don’t even care which one (but preferably race day).

None of that matters, of course, if the shoe sucks. At the very least, I can tell you that this shoe does not suck. Let’s start with the cushion. At this point, the Novablast is a max cushion shoe. When you go up to 42 mm of stack height, it just is. Especially with the FF Blast Max, which tips this shoe into the “daily trainer that’s great for a long run” side of things, whereas the last version was “daily trainer that’s great for uptempo speed work” side of things. It feels really, really nice underfoot, almost surprisingly so for a shoe that’s $140. The comfort is unquestionably there.

However, it is soft, and maybe too soft if you are used to relying on the Novablast for faster stuff. In my testing of the shoe, I did take it on an 8-mile progression run going from long run pace down to faster than half marathon pace and it feels like you’re working against it just a bit on account of the softer foam. That said, it’s balanced out a bit by the toe-off, which does have a slight trampoline effect that Asics purports, thanks to the pronounced pod in the forefoot. But for general daily miles, it feels fantastic, and there’s more than enough comfort for any distance. 

It’s also surprisingly stable for a shoe with so much stack and a softer midsole. I never felt precarious on top of that thick bed of foam, which is always a good thing.

I kept trying to think what shoe this reminds me of, and I keep coming back to the Nike Pegasus Plus, which we were somewhat disappointed with, but only because it a) lacked forefoot cushion and b) just didn’t hold up to the standard of reverence we had for the original Pegasus Turbo. The Novablast 5 has plenty of cushion in the forefoot, which I guess makes this shoe a better version of the Pegasus Plus, just for $30 less.

That’s where the value comes in. At $140, I’m not sure you’re getting a much better value in a shoe, at least when it comes to the ride and feel.

THOMAS: I won’t bury the lede. This version is all about the new foam FF Blast Max. The foam feels premium. Robbe and I compared it to the ZoomX in the Pegasus Plus without talking about it. That is high praise for a non-PEBA foam. As Robbe mentioned, the difference between the two is that the forefoot on the Novablast 5 doesn’t bottom out. The shoe rides light (9.5 oz/265 g for a US M10.5) and turnover comes easy. Landings are well protected, and you will feel a small amount of sinking before the foam rebounds. 

We have gotten so used to high-stack trainers that I didn’t even notice the almost 42 mm heel. The shoe is neutral and feels stable. I didn’t do any runs in the rain or even on wet surfaces, and I found the traction to be good. Robbe didn’t feel the same.

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What We Didn’t Like About the Asics Novablast 5

ROBBE: I want to start out by saying that the following criticisms aren’t dealbreakers, and that you probably have to be pretty picky to call them out. But that’s why we’re here. 

Let’s begin with the upper, which is just not as good as the last version. Is it lighter and more breathable? Yes, probably, though it’s hard to say because the temps finally dropped into the 30’s here in Baltimore. The fit, however, is slightly off. Especially if you have a narrow foot. I didn’t have a huge problem with it, mostly because I wear max cushion socks most of the time. But there’s definitely some movement from the midfoot forward. Just a lot of space to explore, so bring your cowbell. I also didn’t feel like sizing down would’ve fixed this, the length seemed just right. It’s not as bad as, say, the On Cloudmonster 2, it’s just not as nice as the last version.

Now, if you have a higher volume foot, this may be perfect. Again, this is where the subjectivity comes into play. But I feel like for 80% of runners out there, it may just be a bit roomy. Either way, I wish we could get the upper of the Novablast 4 and put it on the 5.

I’d also have to detract points from the outsole, which is once again AHAR Lo, a rubber that is mid-tier at best and is far inferior to the stickier AHAR Plus found in the Superblast 2. I know that last year we gave it positive points for being better than the standard AHAR rubber in the Novablast 3, which it is. So it was an improvement. But it’s far from the best.  It’s probably more durable and will last longer (good), but it’s a bit dicey in wet conditions (obviously not good). I took this out on a 6-mile run after it rained and while it wasn’t the worst traction, there was definitely some slippage on wet pavement.

THOMAS: I will break from Robbe and say my complaint is a dealbreaker. The upper’s fit was too generous for my low-volume foot. I was able to mitigate the fit by using a thicker sock, which works in cooler temperatures but would not be ideal in the balmy months. The Novablast 4 had a more structured upper that I prefer over the 5.

Overall, the FF Blast Max provides a very pleasant sensation, but if you liked the peppy feel of the Novablast 4, you’ll probably feel that it’s missing in the 5.

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Final Thoughts on the Asics Novablast 5

ROBBE: I mean, if the upper fit was improved and the outsole rubber reformulated, I’m not sure I could, in good conscience, convince you to shell out the extra $60 to buy the Superblast 2. That’s how good the ride of the shoe is, especially if you find the Superblast 2 to be too dense, an opinion I don’t agree with, but that a minority group of people hold. If you do get along with the upper of this shoe and didn’t have a problem with the traction before, then I think you’ll find this to be the best version of the Novablast yet. Especially if you’re in marathon training and logging big miles.

However, if you enjoy the slightly more dense feeling found in the Novablast 4, then I’d tell you to buy that one on sale if you can find it, especially since it has a better upper altogether.

That’s all pretty specific, but it boils down to these three things: great ride, upper could use some work, update the outsole rubber. Any way you dice it, it’s a pretty solid shoe, especially at the lower price point for running shoes nowadays. 

While it may not be the new and polished car sitting in the driveway, it still holds true to the modern design elements and upgrades that made it one of the best shoes in the industry.

That’s a future we can all believe in.

THOMAS: Even with the fit issues, the Novablast 5 is a top-tier trainer, especially if you have a higher-volume foot. For me, it won’t be the shoe I reach for over and over. Two shoes have tarnished the Novablast’s stellar shine. The first is coming from inside the house: the Asics Superblast, a true juggernaut. While the shoe is $60 more, it is durable and highly versatile. Our entire team agrees that it is one of the best, if not the best shoe on the market. The other shoe is closer in price, $150, but has yet to be widely available. With similar characteristics, the Adidas Adizero EVO SL fits better, has foam that rebounds faster, and is lighter at 8.5 oz/240 g.

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