Asics Novablast 6 vs Asics Superblast 3:
Which to Choose

September 14, 2026

Verdict

It depends on how you'll actually use the shoe. If most of your running is easy-to-steady daily mileage and you want an approachable, springy trainer, the Novablast 6 is the smarter buy. If you want one shoe to span long runs, tempo sessions, and racing — with more cushioning and less weight — the Superblast 3 is the more capable and more versatile pick, and the one to reach for when speed and distance both matter.

Asics Novablast 6

170.00 USD

Asics Superblast 3

205.00 USD

Pace

4 of 6

Cushioning

5 of 6

Responsiveness

5 of 6

Stability

3 of 6

Drop

7 mm

Support

Neutral

Plate

None

Distances

10KHalfMarathon

Pace

5 of 6

Cushioning

6 of 6

Responsiveness

5 of 6

Stability

3 of 6

Drop

8 mm

Support

Neutral

Plate

None

Distances

10KHalfMarathon

At a Glance

Asics Novablast 6Asics Superblast 3

Who Should Choose Each Shoe

Choose

Asics Novablast 6

Choose the Novablast 6 if you want one springy, accessible shoe for the bulk of your week — easy miles, steady runs, and the occasional uptempo session — without needing a max-height platform. Its slightly lower 39 mm stack feels a touch more planted and manageable, making it a strong pick for beginners or for experienced runners who want a fun, bouncy daily trainer that isn't trying to double as a race shoe. It's the better call when comfort and versatility for everyday training matter more than outright speed.

Choose

Asics Superblast 3

Choose the Superblast 3 if you want a single pair that can handle long runs, honest tempo work, and even race day, and you're comfortable with a tall 46 mm platform. Its A-TPU foam gives you maximum cushioning at an unusually light 235 g, so it protects the legs over marathon distance yet feels quick when you lift the pace — ideal for the runner who doesn't own a dedicated plated racer but wants that energetic, do-everything feel. Just budget some care for the exposed foam sidewalls over the long haul.

Head-to-Head

Start with the platform. The Superblast 3 stands far taller — a 46 mm heel / 38 mm forefoot stack against the Novablast 6's 39 mm / 32 mm — so it delivers meaningfully deeper protection for long efforts, at the cost of a slightly more towering, tippy feel at very slow paces. The counterintuitive part is weight: despite roughly 7 mm more foam at the heel, the Superblast 3 comes in lighter at 235 g (men's US 9) versus 249 g for the Novablast 6, because it uses a premium FF Leap A-TPU superfoam over an FF Blast+ base rather than the Novablast's FF Blast Max. Drop is nearly identical — 8 mm on the Superblast, 7 mm on the Novablast — so heel-toe geometry isn't a real differentiator. Neither shoe has a plate; the Novablast gets its pop from a forefoot FF Turbo Squared pod that rewards a quick cadence, while the Superblast's bounce comes purely from that tall A-TPU stack and midsole shaping, coming alive the harder you press into it. Both are neutral with a moderate, unreinforced base (stability 3/6), so pronation-control runners should skip both. The clearest split is intended pace: the Novablast 6's core zone is daily-training territory around 4:30–5:30 min/km with tempo up to about 4:15, whereas the Superblast 3 is happiest at 4:00–4:45 and can genuinely stretch to 3:50–4:15 min/km, blurring the line between trainer and racer.