ASICS Blast Lineup Compared: Nova Blast 5, Super Blast 2, Mega Blast and Sonic Blast

Introduction

The ASICS Blast lineup has quietly grown into one of the more interesting trainer families on the market. What started in 2020 with a single bouncy max-cushion shoe has become a range covering daily miles, long runs and even faster pace work. The current stars are the Nova Blast 5, the Super Blast 2, the newer Mega Blast, and the more specialized Sonic Blast. Each occupies a slightly different spot, and choosing between them comes down to what kind of running you actually do.

The Blast Lineup at a Glance

The Nova Blast line began as a highly compressive, somewhat unstable bouncy trainer. Over five yearly updates the midsole foam evolved: subtle changes between versions one and two, then a denser, more stable foam in versions three and four, and now a return to a softer formula in the Nova Blast 5. The 8mm drop has become the favored geometry across the lineup’s daily trainers.

The key question is where each shoe sits. The Nova Blast 5 is the all-rounder, the Super Blast 2 adds stack and responsiveness, the Mega Blast brings lighter weight and better foam, and the Sonic Blast is a niche, plate-equipped option for pace work. Here is how each one shakes out.

ASICS Nova Blast 5

The Nova Blast 5 uses FlyteFoam Blast Max, a softer midsole formula than version 4, taking the ride almost full circle back to the original shoe, but with a much better fitting upper. The first version ran a little long, while this one has a more generous but secure fit. In sample size it weighs 254g, with a whole lot of soft compression underfoot.

Elevated sidewalls around the heel provide more support than the first version ever did, and the shoe is nimble enough to handle faster paces while staying plush for easy miles. Grip has been a weak spot on past Nova Blasts, but version 5 is noticeably better. At around £110 on sale in the UK, it is hard to find reasons not to try it, which explains why it has been a long-standing favorite.

ASICS Super Blast 2

The Super Blast 2 is almost the same weight in sample size as the Nova Blast 5, but carries quite a bit more midsole stack in both heel and forefoot, keeping the same 8mm drop. It is more capable in long-run situations, with cushioning that is more responsive rather than just soft. If you want to throw some faster intervals into a longer run, this is where it earns its place.

The foam combination has a touch more resilience than the Nova Blast 5, with a quick return to form in the upper layer of foam that really does the magic. It gets better the more you use it. Compared with other brands in this category, which are often much heavier and focused purely on softness, this one has genuine get up and go when you move quicker. There is also a slight upgrade in outsole rubber over the Nova Blast 5. The catch is price: it is seldom found for less than about £180 in the UK, a serious sum of cash.

ASICS Mega Blast

If you want more stack than the Super Blast 2 along with lighter weight and better foam, the Mega Blast is where you pay your money. It is around 40g lighter than the Super Blast on foot, with 45mm of stack in the heel of the sample size, tying it with the Sonic Blast for stack height. It features a new squared variant of FlyteFoam Blast that seems to possess more energy return and bounce than the Super Blast 2, and it feels great straight out of the box with no break-in needed.

A thinner, more breathable mesh accounts for much of the weight saving. The foam is a better impact protector while staying responsive, making for a more exciting, wilder and rawer ride than the Super Blast 2. If the Super Blast 2 felt muted to you at first, the Mega Blast may deliver what you were expecting. The outsole rubber is superior to the Nova Blast 5, though not quite as extensive in coverage as the Super Blast 2, with no visible wear so far. It suits daily training, long runs, and even some faster speed work, though there is a lot of shoe in terms of width.

ASICS Sonic Blast

The Sonic Blast, released around the same time as the Mega Blast, layers FlyteFoam Blast Max as the bottom layer with FlyteFoam Turbo Squared above, plus a nylon plate. It feels very different from the Mega Blast: less engaging, bouncy and responsive. The plate does make the shoe feel decent at tempo pace, but the overall rigidity means the plate acts more as a stabilizing element than a performance enhancer.

This is a niche shoe that wants you to run in a very particular way. On versatility and value, two of the top measures runners look for, it sits at the edge of the lineup. The standout is the upper, which is arguably the best part of the shoe: fantastic for fit and breathability. If you want a dedicated shoe for running at pace during workouts and you value durability, it makes sense, but it is absolutely not a daily versatile pace shoe.

Other Blast Shoes Worth Knowing About

Two other Blast models exist in the range. The Versa Blast 4 does not use the FlyteFoam Blast midsole at all, running Amplifoam instead, so it sits outside the core performance story here. The Dino Blast looks almost exactly like the Nova Blast 3, as if ASICS simply carried on producing that shoe under a new name: the midsole even states the foam type in the same place, and the outsoles appear identical.

Which Blast Shoe Should You Buy?

If you want one dependable daily trainer with a forgiving midsole and improved grip, the Nova Blast 5 is the easy pick, especially at around £110. If your weeks include long runs with faster segments and you want more cushion and resilience, the Super Blast 2 justifies its roughly £180 price for some runners, and its capability may even let it replace the Nova Blast 5 entirely, saving you from buying two shoes.

If money is no object and you want the best blend of lighter weight, more stack and more exciting foam, the Mega Blast is the golden shoe of the lineup. And if your focus is dedicated pace work with top-tier fit and breathability, the Sonic Blast covers that specific niche, as long as you accept it is not a versatile daily option.

Conclusion

The Blast lineup now covers nearly every kind of runner: the Nova Blast 5 for forgiving daily miles, the Super Blast 2 for cushioned long runs with pace, the Mega Blast for those who want the same versatility with more energy and less weight, and the Sonic Blast for runners who need a rigid, plate-stabilized workout shoe. Match the shoe to your sessions and it is hard to go wrong.