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First Impression: Reebok Kamikaze II

We bout to make it reign… man…

I’m hoping you’ll find that as amusing as I did… really hoping…


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Traction – I have no thoughts on this traction pattern. It’ll either be good or it’ll be bad… it looks like something you’d expect to see on a shoe built for outdoor hooping. These may be a viable option for those that do play outdoor but for us indoor player that play on less than pristine courts… who knows. Clean courts typically will have you thinking that your traction is A+… until you play on a not so clean court that is. I’m just hoping it’ll work.

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Cushion – We have heel and forefoot Hexalite cushioning along with a midsole that feels like Polyurethane. I’m still not positive on what it is exactly – it’s lighter than the PU I’m used to but firmer than Phylon – whatever it is… it’s the part of the shoe that I’m concerned with. Sure, step-in comfort is great, Ortholite insoles will give you that plush feeling while sitting directly under foot… sort of like plush carpet… but that doesn’t mean it’ll react well when used in a game. Whatever the case may be… this will either be really comfortable or really uncomfortable.

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Material – Every pair I’ve seen features a mixture of nubuck and leather. The material placement is different for each colorway and for some additional support, playing in a pair with a primarily leather upper was important to me which is why I chose this colorway… that and they look freaking awesome. Materials are soft so there shouldn’t be any real break-in time.

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Fit – They fit true to size but the materials will break-in a bit and I did not want to lose the snug fit I prefer so I decided to go down ½ size. I do not advise this – especially for wide footers – unless you personally prefer a snug fit. My toes are literally at the edge of the rubber sole and that is how I like it… my toes might not like it but the decision isn’t really theirs to make. Lockdown feels decent, nothing too special but pretty much what I expect from a 90’s shoe.

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Ventilation – Other than the mesh tongue and the 10 perforations placed on the toe… they won’t breath much at all. Air flow is literally non-existent and for someone that doesn’t ever feel that their feet ‘burn up’ or anything then this is fine for me. If you ‘need’ ventilation then you obviously wont enjoy a shoe built this way.

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Support – The support will come from the materials and fit… a little support may be provided by the molded midsole as well but other than that… it’s pretty minimal. Again, we’re talking about a 90’s shoe and the type of support we are used didn’t begin to gain traction until the Air Jordan XI’s release which released within the same timeframe as the Kamikaze II actually so that shows you how far advanced Jordan and Nike were back in the day.

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I’m excited and reluctant all at the same time. My legs aren’t getting any younger but I’m hoping that everything will be fine.

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25 comments
  1. To be honest nightwing, I am pretty dissapointed that you chose this shoe to review next. I know you love hooping retros, but the majority of us don’t. Instead, maybe you can review some of the newer modern shoes that came out, like the Hyperdisruptor or adidas Crazy Fast.

          1. You do realize that these reviews are free to us right? I could understand if you were a paying customer but, um, you’re not. You can have your opinion but complaining to the dude who does more work than anyone online to provide these while having another job and a family is dumb. Just my 2 cents.

      1. The man can review whatever shoes he wants & when he wants to. This is his site & just like what he said about his toes, “the decision isn’t really theirs to make”. Lol!

        1. lol relax, i am just giving some constructive criticism! I respect NW and what he does, What is wrong with making some suggestions to improve his website!?

          y’all are trippin

    1. Have to disagree with this.

      Me personally, I only want reviews on shoes that are somehow different -which to me normally means flagship models introducing new tech, some of the lesser known brands and retros.

    2. You do realize that these reviews are free to us right? I could understand if you were a paying customer but, um, you’re not. You can have your opinion but complaining to the dude who does more work than anyone online to provide these while having another job and a family is dumb. Just my 2 cents.

  2. I disagree…I’m glad that you’re choosing different shoes to review…most of nike’s shoes now are basically the same shoe just with a different name sans 2012 hyperdunk…and most of adidas are nice, but they are mostly built the same way sans the d-rose line…there is a shortage of different and original shoes nowadays…plus pros are hooping in these (and in the dunk contest) and I was curious to their performance…I appreciate you breaking these out homie

  3. Love Reebok retros being born in the 80s and growing up in the 90s!
    Hilarious write up when you said, “my toes might not like it but the decision isn’t really theirs to make.”

  4. I agree with KY. I personally wont get them because I don’t really like them and I just spent some money on the Rose 3.5 and Melo M9. As a result, I’m not even supposed to be on here teasing myself with shoes I can’t get but it is what it is. Anyway keep it original my man. All the Nike Hypers are basically the same and the Adidas are starting to blur into the CrazyLight except for the Rose line which stands alone. Good work and it’s appreciated.

    1. Yea exactly. most of the shoes are basically from previous models. im excited for adidas to put their energy boost midsole to basketball shoes though whenever that happens

  5. Make it reign man!

    I’m curious to see how this retro performs. Back in the day I felt that the cushioning took awhile to break in, so that’s one thing I’m really curious about. Other than that, Love the reviews man. Keep it up!

  6. After this can we have “the glove” next? Reminiscing the good old sonic days of Payton and Kemp…. Wish to see NW slam the ball like shawn kemp on this, hmmmm, if that is not too much to ask for….lol!!! Keep it up Nightwing, full support all the way from the Philippines.

  7. If you don’t like what he is reviewing then don’t pay attention then.
    codeasia, I’m from that area and I did grow up watching Sonic Boom ( which the tandem nickname Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp were known as) played.

    Nightwing, I’m looking forward to this review, and good song that will suit this is Big K.R.I.T’s Reign On.

  8. Hey Nightwing.. I mean sometimes i want different reviews but i love retros too! I mean its your choice of course, drose 3 and 3.5 are the same so no need for that. But like the hyperfuse and hyperdisruptor would be nice to see..

    1. I take care of the important reviews. Hyper shoes and team shoes go to outlets and can be bought at bargain prices. Shoes like that are bottom feeders and can be a great performance deal or bargain.

      1. The hyperdisruptor is pretty expensive (130) and VERY light. ESPECIALLY considering its a high top. Would love to see a review

  9. Nightwing — Personally, I really like that you take time to do performance reviews on retros. I say this because I enjoy testing out retro sneakers on court. I play in all my retros at least a few times to get a feel for what performance features of the past were like. I guess I’m just a performance footwear junkie, but this stuff is fun for me.

    Please continue to do retros!

  10. Jason Terry has been playing in these for most of his games as a celtic. Before that he was playing in Answer 4’s. If pros are hooping in them that must mean they were at least made for playing not just causal wear.

  11. With everyone talking about what to review and stuff, one thought just came into my mind: “haven’t seen some AND1 reviews” LOL i mean they are hoop shoes right? but still, its still NW’s decision. Keep it up man shout out from the Philippines 😀

  12. Awesome, I just got a few pairs of these. I had a friend who wore these back in the day and had to have them. All I know is there isn’t a shoe out there that will make me better at basketball, because I suck right now. 😛

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