ASICS METASPEED EDGE and SKY Dual Review

The METASPEED Edge and Sky Tokyo are for you if...

You want an extra light, sub-6 oz. super shoe for your next race 

You’ll forego cushioning in the name of speed 

You’re an experienced runner looking to maximize your race day potential 

What are the METASPEED Sky and Edge Tokyo made for?

The METASPEEDs are ASICS’ collection of elite, race-day super shoes, each tailored to accommodate different cadences and preferences. ASICS has taken to revealing these shoes in batches, with the METASPEED primes first released in 2021, the METASPEED+ family launching in 2022, the METASPEED Paris collection dropping in 2024, and now the METASPEED Tokyo family ushering the brand into 2025, alongside the World Athletics Championships that are being held in Tokyo this September. What differentiates the Tokyos from the Paris are the new foam midsoles, which make the shoes exceptionally lightweight, a revisited upper which is more adaptive, and an all new, third shoe that has been added to the series.

Speaking of which...within the METASPEED Tokyo collection, there are now THREE key road racing shoes available:  

1. METASPEED Edge Tokyo
2. METASPEED Sky Tokyo
3. METASPEED Ray Tokyo (brand new shoe)
   

The METASPEED Ray is considered its own beast, shirking stability in the name of pure, lightweight superspeed. The Sky and the Edge, however, are two peas in a pod--sister shoes, composed of the same upper materials, with the same dual foams in the midsole, and the same basic outsoles. Both are supportive, fast race shoes, whose intentional specialization seeks to give them an edge over the rest of the ultra-competitive racing super shoe industry. The key differences between the Sky and the Edge lie in the arrangement of their dual foams and the fact that their under foot experiences have been sculpted a bit differently to cater to different footstrikes and turnovers. The METASPEED Edge is intended to help runners increase their cadence, or the number of steps taken per minute, for more efficient use of energy. The METASPEED Sky, on the other hand, is intended to help runners optimize their stride length, pushing them a little bit further with each step.

We opted to do a METASPEED Edge and Sky review together, since the connective tissue between the shoes is so obvious, but it’s the nuanced differences that let this pair really get the edge (or sky?) on the competition. Let's dig into them.

Comfort

Keeping in mind that racing shoes aren’t meant to prioritize comfort, we found the METASPEED Edge Tokyo and Sky Tokyo shoes to both be accommodating enough to go any race distance. Our testers had no qualms about attempting full marathons in the shoes, but with that said, we want to emphasize that they both feel firm. Thanks to the Edge’s carbon plate getting positioned directly underneath our heels, we found it to feel marginally firmer than the Sky, without any appreciable squish. The Sky, on the other hand, set their carbon plate a little deeper among their midsole, and that little bit of extra FF Leap foam over the plate let us feel the slightest (and we mean the slightest) bit of extra cushioning for our landings.

On the plus side, these compositions allowed us to run fast without sinking into the shoes. On the negative side, the shoes felt exceptionally tense from step-in to step-out. If you’re willing to accept a bit of firmness in the name of speed, then put these at the top of your tier list. But if you prefer a little bit of cushion for your landings, you may need to shop for a different brand of super racer. The shoes do break in a bit, which is rare for modern shoes, and especially for super shoes. 

Beyond just conversations about firmness, we found the minimal but secure upper didn’t lead to any pinch points or binding. The heel had good security, but we did notice the shoes created an inobtrusive, but noticeable arch feel or “bump” due to the way the fabric wrapped our foot after lacing. It wasn’t a dealbreaker for our neutral-to-high arched testers, but runners with low arches might not love that sensation. 

Performance

We all agree that the METASPEED Edge and Sky Tokyo are truly stellar shoes. They’re phenomenally lightweight and responsive, providing a propulsive experience for our fastest race-speed efforts that was also decently stable. They sport everything you need for the highest level of racing while still being fairly democratic for use among a range of runners. That said, their aggressive plate and fast, firm structure mean they skew towards strong, race-ready athletes who are testing the edge of their fitness.

While the Sky and Edge both deserve a place in the elite super shoe tier list, our testers found the pair to be sitting in a variety of positions across the curve, with some pushing the shoe towards the top of their top tier (the best of the best!), and another keeping it near the bottom of the tier (still among the best, but not quite topping them). Collectively, we found the FF Leap foam, highlighted in both the Edge and the Sky, to live up to the hype. It’s a great, soft foam which, when paired with the rebound of the FF Turbo+, resulted in an ultra-lightweight, bouncy, and stable underfoot feel. The Sky benefits from a more generous layer of the new FF Leap foam, giving it a slight edge in cushioning and energy return over the Edge for our reviewers. 

Neither shoe has a radical geometry, but they both offer aggressive designs that make them hard to run slowly in. The curved plate in the Edge sits a little lower than we expected, meaning we didn’t feel it as much, but it held our feet steady like it was supposed to. The Sky, on the other hand, kept its plate flat, letting us hit it marginally higher in the shoe. The result was two intentionally different, nuanced feels, meant to appeal to two different subsets of runners. 

It’s worth emphasizing that the biggest difference between the METASPEED Edge Tokyo and the METASPEED Sky Tokyo is that they are both pulling little detail-work tricks like this to cater to different gaits and cadences. We found that a long, bounding stride was inclined more towards the Sky, which positioned its FF Leap foam beneath the FF Turbo+ foam, provided more leap in the heel than in the forefoot, and included the flatter carbon plate. On the other hand, the Edge felt more suited to runners with shorter, higher cadence strides thanks to its FF Leap foam being placed on top of the FF Turbo+ foam, the heftier offering of Leap in the forefoot (as opposed to in the heel), and the spoon-shaped carbon plate. The flipping of the foams created a subtle, but noteworthy difference in the way the shoes run.  

This is all going to come down to personal preference, though. Ultimately, we’d strongly recommend trying the shoes on side by side, if possible, to see which one matches your stride and race day needs better. They’re both going to offer premier race day speed, but you’re bound to prefer the way your foot lands and rolls in one over the other.

Fit

We found the METASPEED Edge and Sky Tokyo’s fits to be huge strengths. The two offer practically identical wraps, with adaptive, relatively roomy uppers and an appreciated amount of space preserved for our toes in the forefoot. The upper seems more adaptive and generous than the past Paris version, while still keeping your foot plenty secure. Lace lockdown was great and made our feet feel secure throughout our mileage, despite a slight arch bump that got created by the fabric. It’s a no hot spots, no binding issues, no problems shoe. 

The one point of contention here came in the heel fit. For two of our testers, the heel lockdown was snug and secure. However, our other tester noted that the shoes felt a bit stiff and that they didn’t flex with his foot as much as other super shoes did during toe-offs. Because of this rigidity, that same tester reported some initial heel slippage when transitioning through their strides, while our other tester didn’t experience the same issues.