Asics Novablast 6 vs Asics Megablast:
Which to Choose

The clearest difference is how much foam sits under you: the Megablast rides on a 45 mm heel / 35 mm forefoot stack, versus the Novablast 6's lower 39 mm / 32 mm. Drops are close — 8 mm on the Megablast against 7 mm on the Novablast 6 — so both stay accessible to heel and midfoot strikers without dictating your form. The surprise is weight: despite carrying noticeably more stack, the Megablast comes in lighter at around 218 g in a men's US 9, while the Novablast 6 is 249 g, thanks to the Megablast's thinner woven mesh upper and its premium FF Turbo² A-TPU superfoam. That foam is the second real divergence: the Megablast's A-TPU is the livelier, more resilient compound — rated maximum cushioning (6/6) and built to reward pushing the pace — whereas the Novablast 6 runs on FF Blast Max with a dedicated forefoot FF Turbo Squared pod for pop off the toe, landing at high cushioning (5/6) with a slightly firmer, more everyday feel. Both are genuinely bouncy, both are plate-free, and both get a touch tippy at slow, tired, flat-footed paces because of their tall platforms — but the Megablast's broader, more rockered base earns it a marginally higher stability rating (4/6 vs 3/6). Pace windows nearly overlap: the Novablast 6 is happiest around 4:30–5:30 min/km and the Megablast around 4:45–5:30, and both stretch down to roughly 4:15–4:45 for tempo efforts while stopping short of being all-out short-course racers, since neither has a plate to snap you through a 5K. In short, the Megablast is more shoe — taller, softer, lighter, slightly more planted, with the more advanced foam — while the Novablast 6 is the more compact, closer-to-the-ground ride that still covers the same distances.