The ASICS MEGABLAST is intended as a do-it-all trainer that combines max cushioning with a lively, unplated ride. Built with a tall stack of A-TPU-based FF Turbo² foam, it offers deep protection underfoot while staying impressively light thanks to a thin, breathable upper. The midsole feels soft yet highly responsive, delivering a bouncy and versatile experience that works across daily mileage, long runs, and even faster sessions. Within ASICS' BLAST lineup, it slots in as the bounciest and most playful option, offering a lighter and more energetic alternative to the ASICS SUPERBLAST while maintaining more comfort and range than the ASICS SONICBLAST.
Our Verdict
The ASICS MEGABLAST is suitable as a marathon option, although it's primarily designed as a training shoe. Its tall stack and energetic FF Turbo² midsole provide deep protection without feeling overly heavy. The large base and the superb cushioning mean the shoe holds up well over longer distances. While it lacks the propulsion of a super shoe, it offers a reliable and comfortable alternative, making it a very good choice for amateur runners who want a durable marathon shoe without a carbon plate.
Very bouncy midsole.
Tall stack height.
Excellent level of protection, especially in the heel.
Not the lightest option for racing.
The ASICS MEGABLAST isn't the best choice for short, fast races. While the foam is responsive, the high stack and softer forefoot limit the snappiness that's usually needed for quick turnover. It can handle strides and tempo sessions very well, but in the context of a 5K or 10K, it feels a little bulky compared to lighter, firmer options. Runners targeting those distances seriously will likely prefer plated shoes with more aggressive geometries.
Very bouncy midsole.
Foam is soft all around.
Not the lightest option for racing.
The ASICS MEGABLAST delivers strong energy return, compressing quickly and rebounding with a springy feel. Both the heel and forefoot provide a lively ride, giving the shoe a bounciness that makes it fun at a wide range of paces. While it isn't as explosive as some super shoes, the energy return is great and helps keep runs engaging.
Very bouncy midsole.
The ASICS MEGABLAST offers outstanding cushioning, with a plush heel that absorbs impact superbly well and a forefoot that's also very protective. The midsole's height and soft foam create a deeply cushioned feel that works especially well for long miles, while maintaining enough structure to keep it from feeling mushy. For runners looking for maximum underfoot protection without sacrificing bounciness, this shoe stands out.
Tall stack height.
Excellent level of protection, especially in the heel.
The ASICS MEGABLAST has reasonable stability for its class, though the tall, soft midsole can feel a bit wobbly, especially in the heel. Its wide base and gusseted tongue help offset some of that foam softness, making it stable enough for most daily running and long efforts. Forefoot strikers should find the shoe stable because of its contrast with the heel in terms of firmness and width-to-stack ratio. Still, runners with higher stability needs may prefer something firmer or lower to the ground.
Wide platform helps compensate for the tall, soft chunk of foam.
Tall stack height.
Foam is soft all around.
Performance Usages
Changelog
- Updated Oct 28, 2025: We've converted this review to Test Bench 0.9, which adds a Forefoot Long Run Cushioning test to our performance section. Read more in our changelog.
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Updated Oct 21, 2025:
We've adjusted this review's writing to align with the new test bench, including updates to all usage scores and test boxes for Cushioning, Firmness, and Energy Return.
- Updated Oct 20, 2025: We've converted this review to Test Bench 0.8.2, which updates our methodology for the impact force range used in our compression tests to improve their accuracy. This also affects all usage and performance usage boxes using those compression tests as score components.
- Updated Sep 18, 2025: Review published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We bought and tested the ASICS MEGABLAST in men's U.S. size 9, as noted on the label for our pair. The pair we purchased is the White/Piedmont Grey colorway, but you can also buy the shoe in Edo Purple/Black. Unlike some other ASICS models, the MEGABLAST isn't sold in wide or narrow fits. The design section applies only to the exact model we tested, but we expect other size and gender variants to perform similarly.
Popular Running Shoe Comparisons
The ASICS MEGABLAST is a max-stack, unplated trainer designed to combine protection with bounce. Built on a tall platform of FF Turbo² foam, it delivers a soft, springy, and highly responsive ride while staying impressively lightweight for its size. The geometry is smooth and relatively stable, making it easy to turn over across a wide range of paces, from long runs with pace changes to daily mileage and even faster workouts. If you're looking primarily for a plush, reliable trainer with a more consistent ride for your easy mileage, the ASICS GEL-NIMBUS 27 remains a solid choice. If you don't really care about bounce but still want something mega-cushioned, take a look at the Mizuno Neo Vista 2. Another stellar option for long runs with pace variations is the HOKA Mach X 3, but it's heavier, and the plate can feel harsher than the MEGABLAST.
Within ASICS' BLAST family, the ASICS MEGABLAST sits as the light and bouncy counterpart to the ASICS NOVABLAST 5, the ASICS SUPERBLAST 2, and the plated ASICS SONICBLAST. Where the NOVABLAST is a more standard modern trainer, the SUPERBLAST 2 favors long, steady miles, and the SONICBLAST is a plated super trainer designed for faster efforts that also works for slower paces, the MEGABLAST has the bounciest midsole paired with a very light upper, offering runners a playful, highly cushioned trainer without the stiffness of a plate.
If you're looking for more options, check out our recommendations for the best running shoes, the best long-distance running shoes, and the best shoes for running a marathon.
The ASICS SUPERBLAST 2 and ASICS MEGABLAST are both unplated maximalist trainers, but they lean in different directions. The SUPERBLAST 2 is designed as a long-distance cruiser with a firmer feel and a more tapered platform that makes it roll more smoothly over steady miles. For example, the SUPERBLAST 2's rocker is stiffer, which helps you keep your heel-to-toe transitions consistent as the miles pile up. The MEGABLAST, by contrast, aims to be a do-it-all trainer, combining max cushioning with a lively ride that feels bouncier and more playful. It is lighter on the scale but sits on a consistently wide platform that gives it a broad footprint, more reminiscent of a cushioned daily trainer like the GEL-NIMBUS 27. That geometry makes it feel less streamlined and agile than the SUPERBLAST 2, despite the lighter weight.
Both the ASICS SONICBLAST and ASICS MEGABLAST are performance-oriented options from the Japanese brand, but they fit in distinctly different slots in its lineup. The SONICBLAST is a plated super trainer designed for faster efforts, with a dual-layer midsole that combines FF Turbo² and FF Blast Max around a partial plate, giving it a firmer, snappier forefoot that favors high-cadence turnover. It can handle easy miles too, though its real strength is moderate uptempo work. The MEGABLAST, on the other hand, is an unplated max-cushion trainer built entirely on FF Turbo² foam. It is actually lighter despite its taller stack, and delivers a softer, more cushioned ride that feels bouncy and energetic while remaining versatile across daily mileage, long runs, and faster sessions.
The ASICS NOVABLAST 5 and ASICS MEGABLAST can both get you blasted in different ways. The NOVABLAST 5 is a modern daily trainer that feels lightweight, cushioned, and pleasantly bouncy, but it keeps things in balance so it works best as a reliable companion for everyday miles and moderate efforts. The MEGABLAST takes that formula to the extreme, with a taller stack of FF Turbo² foam that makes it lighter, more cushioned, and far more energetic underfoot. It truly feels like a "mega" version of the NOVABLAST, delivering the ultimate bouncy experience with greater versatility for long runs, daily miles, and even uptempo work. If you want a dependable trainer for shorter daily runs, the NOVABLAST is a safe choice, but if you are looking for maximum bounce with the ability to shift gears, the MEGABLAST is the more exciting option.
The adidas Adizero Evo SL and ASICS MEGABLAST are both innovative trainers that blur traditional shoe categories, positioned as versatile, unplated shoes optimized for uptempo work. The Evo SL is lighter, narrower, and shaped with a more agile geometry, aided by a partial plastic shank that stiffens the midsole. Its foam composition feels a bit more energetic and snappy, making it appealing for runners who like a quicker, sharper response, though it comes across harsher at easier paces. The MEGABLAST leans more into cushioning and softness, offering a more forgiving ride with deeper protection. Where the Evo SL shines in speed and agility, the MEGABLAST prioritizes bounce and comfort, giving each a distinct personality for different training preferences.
We've recently started buying and testing running shoes with a very data-oriented approach. While we're just getting started, our methodology already has dozens of tests to help you make the right purchasing decision for your needs. Not only do we use high-end equipment to gather objective data, but we also order multiple sizes of the same shoes for team members to be able to log in miles. This real-world testing is done at various paces and conditions, and with different types of workouts, to cover all the bases. This allows us to verify our results and ensure they align with what you might feel with a specific pair.
Test Results
The ASICS MEGABLAST is impressively lightweight for a max-stack training shoe. Despite its imposing height, it comes in lighter than both the ASICS SUPERBLAST 2 and ASICS SONICBLAST.
The ASICS MEGABLAST features a consistently wide platform that gives it a broad, stable footprint. This geometry makes the ride feel more like a cushioned cruiser, such as the ASICS GEL-NIMBUS 27, rather than the ASICS SUPERBLAST 2, which has a more tapered, flexible base, especially at the arch. This also makes the shoe feel less streamlined and agile than the SUPERBLAST 2, with its narrower midfoot, despite the actual weight being lower.
The ASICS MEGABLAST runs slightly long, consistent with other ASICS shoes, so sizing down may be worth considering for runners in between sizes.
This shoe uses a thin, race-inspired upper that helps keep weight down, but it isn't the most secure. Lockdown can feel tricky at first, but once adjusted, it holds reasonably well. That said, the upper's design makes the shoe feel less ideal for folks with narrower feet.
The ASICS MEGABLAST provides strong energy return in the heel. Landings feel very energetic, but the foam compresses and rebounds quickly enough to avoid a sluggish sensation. For heel strikers, this makes transitions feel smooth and engaging, even though in practice, shoes aren't designed primarily around heel-driven speed.
The ASICS MEGABLAST has a lively forefoot that makes the ride feel bouncy and fun, especially during uptempo intervals or long runs of varying intensities. It's not as snappy as the ASICS SUPERBLAST 2 (which relies more on its geometry and weight distribution for propulsion) but instead offers a more compliant foam that decompresses quickly when pushing off. This makes it better suited for runners who like an energetic toe-off rather than a rigidly propulsive one.
The ASICS MEGABLAST is extremely cushioned in the heel, offering a plush landing zone that absorbs impact exceptionally well. Protection is among the best in its class, making it comfortable for long runs and forgiving on tired legs.
This model also provides outstanding cushioning up front, with enough softness to stay comfortable at a wide range of paces and footstrike patterns. Unlike many max-cushion shoes, it manages to offer this level of protection without losing its bounce or becoming overly heavy, giving it rare versatility for both easy and faster miles.
This shoe is very soft in the heel, which contributes to its plush feel but reduces stability on lateral movements. The tradeoff is clear: maximum comfort at the expense of a slightly less planted sensation, particularly when cornering or running on uneven surfaces.
The ASICS MEGABLAST has a soft forefoot that emphasizes plushness over snappiness. This is a major difference from the ASICS SONICBLAST, which uses a partial plate and firmer forefoot to create a sharper, high cadence-friendly toe-off. The MEGABLAST, by contrast, will appeal to runners who enjoy a cushioned, bouncy push-off, while the SONICBLAST remains better for those who prefer a firmer, snappier response underfoot.