Asics Gel Kinsei Blast LE 2 'Island Blue'
Colorway: Island Blue/Island Blue · Style code: 1011B592-400 · Release date: January 2, 2023 · Price: $2682 · Availability: Available now
More colorways: Asics Gel Kinsei Blast LE 2 'Lime Zest' (1011B592-300) · Asics Gel Kinsei Blast LE 2 'Olive Oil' (1011B592-301) · Asics Gel Kinsei Blast LE 'Shocking Orange' (1011B332-800) · Asics Wmns Gel Kinsei Blast LE 'Clear Blue' (1012B178-401) · Asics Wmns Gel Kinsei Blast LE 2 'Papaya' (1012B411-700)
GEL is the material ASICS built its reputation on. The silicone-based cushioning first reached production running shoes in 1986, in the GT-II and FREAKS alpha, and two decades later the GEL-Kinsei pushed the idea as far as it would go: a 2006 flagship with three visible GEL sections stacked through the rear of the midsole, a rigid heel plate to control the transition, and an upper drawn from samurai armour and the sweep of a katana blade.
The Blast generation carried that thinking into the 2020s with a different parts list. Where the original leaned on exposed GEL and that plate, the Blast builds its ride from FlyteFoam Blast Plus with a Pebax propulsion element, keeping GEL concentrated behind the midfoot. The result is one of the heaviest trainers in the ASICS range and one of the softest, better matched to recovery runs and long weekend efforts than to intervals.
Island Blue treats the shoe as a single surface, with no contrast panelling to interrupt the silhouette.