Asics Metarise 'Tokyo'
Colorway: Sunrise Red/Eclipse Black · Style code: 1051A059-701 · Release date: December 22, 2023 · Price: $662 · Availability: Available now
Volleyball is one sport where ASICS has held a front-rank position in Japan for decades, and the Metarise is the line it built for players who spend the match in the air. Rather than the medial posting and heel gel of a running shoe, the priorities here are a stable landing platform, a wide outrigger to resist rolling the ankle on a bad step, and a forefoot that loads cleanly into a jump.
The MonoSock upper is the structural idea. A stretch collar and one-piece forefoot replace the conventional tongue and overlays, so the foot sits inside the shoe rather than on top of it. Underneath, FlyteFoam (the midsole compound ASICS introduced in 2016 out of its Kobe research institute) keeps weight down without surrendering rebound.
The second-generation Metarise later added a carbon-fibre-reinforced plate under the forefoot to spread pressure through take-off. This first version relies on foam and geometry alone, which is also why it sits below the follow-up on price.