So close but…

Mizuno’s Alpha series has cemented itself as one of the best alternative speed boots on the market, with the One and the Two both having their fans. While the Alpha 2 Japan won a lot of praise from boot heads overseas, in Japan the boot struggled from being too over the top in terms of the stiffer upper and the fact that the ZeroGlide lining was everywhere. Sales were so bad that Mizuno not only slashed prices but even have already replaced the Alpha 2 within a year of launch, a thing that Mizuno almost never does. While the new Mizuno Alpha 3 Japan has scaled back the ZeroGlide lining to address much of these concerns and have even brought in a new, softer, thinner knit upper, some people are frustrated that so much ZeroGlide has been taken out. While the new Alpha is softer, it is not the lockdown monster the Alpha 2 was. At the same time, the new design has made several steps forward, but at the cost of other aspects of the boot.

Fit and Feel

One of the biggest positives of the Mizuno Alpha 3 Japan is the new upper. Out of the box it is the softest upper in the series. On top of this, it is also the thinnest overall and there is malleability to it that has not been present in the series up to this point. I really appreciate that Mizuno decided to make the switch to a knit upper like this as it the boot immediately feels nicer and higher quality in hand versus the Alpha 2, for me at least.

In the review for the Alpha 2, I was very frustrated with the stiffness of the upper and the overall fit. Interestingly, while the shaping and the overall fit has not changed, the new upper material works well for the fit. For me, the Alpha 3 Japan has the best fit in the entire series for me. Whereas the tall toebox was previously an issue for me, that gap I felt across the top of the toebox is no longer there. I think this is down to the softer material being able to mold around the shape of my foot better as well as changes to the insole.

One of the changes I am more mixed on is the new suede heel. The fit and shaping are very good, and it is a very comfortable heel, one of the best on the market when it comes to speed boots. However, I never personally had an issue with the ZeroGlide heel as there was still some nice cushioning and the fit was good as well. On top of that, the extra lockdown on the heel was a positive. The newer material still grips on the sock well, but lockdown has not only suffered because of the lack of ZeroGlide lining, but also because of the single worse design decision Mizuno made with the Alpha 3 Japan: the absence of an extra set of laceholes towards the top of the foot.

The fact that we went from the best lockdown of any boot on the market, that even had an extra lacehole for a runner’s knot, to this the design where not only is the opening around the ankle much bigger, but the lacing system ends lower down the foot is bizarre. On the one hand, it is not uncommon for players in Japan to not even do the top laceholes as many players do not like having pressure that high on the ankle. However, the fact that there are not even laceholes higher up to even give players the option for more lockdown is really weird to me. Because of this design choice, I do not get the lockdown I want around the heel or the boot as a whole.

Worse still, I can even fit my index finger into the gap created by the lack of lacing higher up the boot. Now, I do not notice the gap when playing, but at the same time I do notice that I do not feel as locked in. I also think that this is part of the reason why Mizuno switched to a knit tongue instead of a floating one as I am guessing during testing, they felt a floating tongue would not provide enough initial lockdown because of the shorter lacing set up. Of course, the other reason is because with knit, it is easier and cheaper to make the make the entire upper one piece. I would not say that lockdown is bad overall, but it is a massive step back from what was there previously.

The bizarre thing about the new lacing and tongue set up is that aside from the top of the lacing system, the lockdown through the middle of the foot is good. Of course, this is also where the ZeroGlide lacing is still present, so that is part of it as well. And this area, along with the forefoot, is one of the best designed parts of the boot. The middle layer of the 3-layer upper has a clever support band construction that gives great stability when running and cutting. It is not as crazy as the Alpha 1 Japan was, but the stability is definitely there. Also, despite the fact that the upper is soft and breaks in so quickly, the stability does not suffer at all.

Which of course leads us into the break in period, which does not take long and after about thirty minutes in the boots, they felt good enough for a match. It is the polar opposite of the Alpha 2, so I greatly appreciate the new upper here.

Another change Mizuno made is the insole. The ZeroGlide is gone here as well. I can understand that this is because a lot of players were complaining about their socks getting stuck, but it would have been nice if the insoles at least kept some grippiness to them, rather than the very basic finish on the top that we get on these new insoles. On the flip side, the insoles are now thicker than previously, and this is one of the reasons for the improved fit overall, especially in the toebox. Mizuno are using their Enerzy XP material for the insoles on the Alpha 3 and while it looks basic, it gives a lot of cushioning without being so soft that you feel like you lose some of the reactiveness.

Speaking of reactions, the KaRVO forefoot makes its return on the Alpha 3 Japan and as always gives a lot of great snapback. Always appreciate when this is added to the midsole of any boots.

Quick side note: the laces are still unacceptably poor. For Japan this is fine because it is easy to get Mizuno’s excellent ZeroGlide laces but given that the price outside of Japan is so high, surely Mizuno can afford to slap the ZeroGlide laces on the overseas releases.

For sizing, I did the same as previous generations of the Alpha series and went half a size down from my normal size which in the Alpha is a US 8/UK 7/EU 40.5/JP 26. I highly recommend you wear the same size as previous generations of the Alpha series. For some, this does mean going true to size, as is the case with BootWizard, JayMike and SR4U Josh.

On the Ball

The advantage of the new upper is that the touch on the ball feels closer and is very much a barefoot feel. Since the new knit upper is softer, there is a more natural feeling on the ball than previously, but this does not mean that the touch feels as raw as before. Personally, I prefer this more natural feeling. It also means that dribbling feels nice and uncomplicated, with almost nothing between the foot and the ball.

Shooting in the Mizuno Alpha 3 Japan is more satisfying than one might think. Of course, with the softer upper this does mean that most of that pingy feeling is gone. On the other hand, there is this nice immediate feedback when striking the ball that I really enjoy. I should also mention that it feels that there the sting is still taken out of the ball when hitting with power, which is surprising given the thinness of the upper.

Lastly, I always appreciate a more uniform-feeling upper as that means there are no surprises when it comes to passing and the improved fit across the boot means that there are no awkward bugles to get used to. Especially given that I had such an issue with the taller toe in the previous Alpha.

Grip

Nothing new here, still a great outsole with good stability, support and springback. I honestly would not mind if a supposed Alpha 4 uses the same soleplate. It is reliable and works on multiple surfaces with relatively few issues. I appreciate that there have been no changes here.

Versus the Mizuno Alpha 3 Elite

Stay tuned.

Conclusion

There are a lot of things I love about the Mizuno Alpha 3 Japan. The new upper and thicker insole means that the boot is not only more comfortable and softer but also fits better. I would as far as to say that the upper and fit are the best in the series. Unfortunately, the boot is let down by the bizarre choices to not only remove most of the ZeroGlide lining, which made the boot unique, but also to shorten the lacing system, which has killed off a lot of the lockdown that the series has been known for. It’s a bit of an enigma. Just some simple design changes to keep the Alpha series towards the top of the speed boots overall, and yet here we are. Hopefully, if there is an Alpha 4, they keep this upper and fit at least.

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じゃあね！