ASICS released the Novablast 6 on 1 July at $155, and three weeks of reviews suggest the brand's most popular daily trainer has changed more than any single update in the line's history. The headline shift is in the midsole: FF Blast Max now forms the bulk of the stack, but a large forefoot section of FF Turbo Squared foam — the same super-critical compound found in ASICS' racing shoes — sits beneath the toe in a raised "trampoline pod" designed to exaggerate the shoe's signature rocking-chair ride.
That forefoot pod is the shoe's most talked-about feature. Reviewers consistently describe a springier, more energetic toe-off than any previous Novablast, with several noting the sensation is closer to a super-trainer than a conventional daily shoe. ASICSGRIP rubber now covers the forefoot outsole for wet-weather grip, while AHAR LO returns at the heel for durability in the highest-wear zone, a combination aimed at keeping the shoe viable for higher weekly mileage despite its livelier ride.
The upper is the other major departure. ASICS has moved to an engineered woven construction that looks and feels closer to a performance sneaker than the softer knit uppers of Novablast 4 and 5, with denser structure through the midfoot for a more locked-down fit. Early testers are broadly positive about the lockdown but mixed on comfort at the top of the foot, with a handful reporting a break-in period before the woven panels relax.
Verdicts on the shoe itself are strong — several reviewers have called it one of the best trainers released so far this year — but opinion splits sharply on whether ASICS should have changed a formula that was not obviously broken. The Novablast 5's softer, more forgiving ride had a loyal following, and testers who came to the 6 expecting an incremental update describe an adjustment period before the new forefoot bounce starts to feel natural rather than unpredictable underfoot.
The Novablast 6 lands in a daily-trainer market that has become unusually competitive this month, with Hoka's supercritical-foam Clifton Pro arriving at a similar price point and Saucony refreshing the Ride 19 within the same fortnight. For runners loyal to the Novablast's bounce-first character, the 6 pushes further in that direction than any predecessor; for those who valued the older model's smoother, more neutral ride, it may be worth trying before buying.