Customer Reviews Onitsuka Tiger Ultimate 81®

I was on the hunt for a stylish pair of white vegan sneakers, and these Onitsuka Tigers definitely fit the bill. The kind folks at Zappos were nice enough to do some research and confirm that all parts of this shoe are animal-friendly. These shoes look good, are extremely comfortable, and have held up great. I would not hesitate to purchase another pair of Tigers from Zappos. On a side note, when I originally purchased these shoes, they arrived in an unmarked internal box and appeared to have been previously worn. I contacted the friendly folks at Zappos, and they immediately sent out a replacement pair, free of all charges. They also kindly asked me to donate the original pair of shoes to charity or give them to a friend. Thank you, Zappos, for the phenomenal customer service!

I'll start by saying I've been wearing vegan Asics Tiger sneakers to work (in offices) for about 10 years. I walk about 5 miles per day to & from a commuter train, around campus and then walking my dog after work. I've gone through approx 14 pairs of Ultimate Tigers, Tiger Fencing, 78s, 81s, etc in these 10 years and the 81s in "Indigo Blue / White" are definitely my least favorite. Out of the box the colorway looks great; the white is crisp agains the blue & the orange is a nice contrast. However, any scuff or drop of rain water leaves a mark on the material used for these 81s. Trying to wipe them with a cloth only made things worse. In a city as much as I do, I don't recommend these sneakers for walking in an urban environment. Perhaps wear them as your suburban-grocery-getters or if you drive to work & work in an office. I can usually rotate in a new pair of Tigers and for a good 6-8 months they still look clean and presentable. These 81s lasted about 40-60 days, then I noticed the front tops looked worn out, splattered, and too dingy to wear to work. They've now become a pair of dingy weekenders instead of office shoes, which is disappointing.

I've bought many pairs of Onitsuka Tiger's BUT THIS WAS THE POOREST QUALITY THAT I'VE EVER HAD. Within 2 days of light wearing around, the front of the tongue started to pull away from the shoe. I thought it wasn't that bad at first BUT I WAS WRONG. It just kept getting worse until the shoe no longer looked good even though all the other wear was flawless still. Would not recommend (I got the black with gum sole) if you plan on wearing very often or for casual use. Also, not enough support especially in the front for much of a running/walking shoe. Hope this helps!

I have been searching for a pair of cute, vegan walking shoes for a while now. I thought I had found what I was looking for with these shoes. Unfortunately they are so poorly made that they are not worth purchasing. I wore my new pair of shoes during an easy hike and within 15 minutes of hiking, the rubber part of the shoes began to separate at the tip of the shoes. For $75 I would expect a shoe to hold up longer than 15 minutes. Very disappointing.

These are my favorite sneakers. They look great with shorts or jeans, have enough arch support to get me through an entire day at the zoo with kids, and come in great colors. I've been wearing the same pair for several years and finally decided I needed to replace them. I usually wear a women's 8. So I ordered the black/latte in my previous size (6.5/8) and Yikes! They're running much smaller than they did 4 years ago. Returned and reordered in 7/8.5 and they fit great. The fabric (especially around the yoke) is really stiff and digs into the top of my toes. But my previous pair were like that at first, too. They'll just need some break-in time. Did I mention that I *love* this color combo? So good.

Great shoes overall. They ran a bit small. 99% of my shoes are 9.5. I ordered these in 9.5 and they were a bit too tight. I had to return them and get 10. The 10s fit perfect.

I was thrilled to receive these and very happy with the comfort level. Still comfortable after 6 plus miles. I thought I had found my forever to go running shoe. Unfortunately after only a few weeks they started coming a part at the toe. For the price they should have latest longer than 4 weeks. Incredibly disappointed.

These shoes are a rip off. I bought two different pair of these shoes back in April. A black pair and a blue pair. They have fallen completely apart in less than 5 months. I love this brand and have owned numerous pairs of onitsuka shoes in the past. Never have they fallen apart this quickly. I don’t know if they’re poorly manufactured or the materials are cheaper or what is happening; I feel ripped off. I’m including pictures of what 4 months of normal usage did to these shoes.

Synopsis: narrower than the "older" versions of the Ultimate 81's. Just as a point of reference, it's been a few years since I've ordered a pair of these. My initial introduction to these shoes were pairs that were made in Indonesia (2009 Drizzle-Black) and in China (2015 Poseidon-Charcoal), both of which are size 9 US. And they fit my kinda wide feet perfectly in length and width. So I ordered another pair of Ultimate 81's again here in 2019 (black w/gum sole) in a size 9 US, and the width is narrower than the previous pairs I've owned. This "new" pair was made in Vietnam. So I returned for a half-size up, which does fit better but it still feels a little too narrow compared to my older size 9 US versions. I'd size up again to a 10, but I'm pretty certain at that size there would be too much extra length in the toe box. I also have a pair of NOS 9.5 81's that were made in China (2009 White-Black-Brown), which are also wider than these "newer" Vietnam-made 9.5's. So hopefully they'll stretch out a little as time goes on. Just kind of a bummer that the old versions fit awesome and the new ones just don't have the same feel. Additionally, in between the "old" and the "new" versions of 81's I just received, I bought 2 pairs of Indonesian-made Mexico 66's in size 9 US (2015 & 2017), and their fit is perfect like the "older" 81's. So for now, it looks like I'll have to stick to the Indo & Chinese made Onitsukas.

This is my all-time favorite shoe and I've probably had 10 pairs of these but over the past couple of years they have gotten more narrow and I cannot wear them. I can hold them up against my old ones and see how much more narrow they have become. It bums me out :(

Great looking shoe. Very comfortable. Good support. I work out in them and walk a lot in them. They do both well and look great while doing it.

Love these! Stylish and very comfy. Perfect fit. This won’t be my last pair of Tigers!

I have been religiously wearing these sneakers daily for 6 years now. I will continue to do so as long as these are produced. Enough said ??

These are perfect shoes if you want to look casual but nice. The black and white combo is sharp and doesn't show grime easily, and the shape looks athletic and stylish. Very comfortable too. They're light and give you the right amount of support without being bulky. However: I should have listened to other reviewers who said they run small. They do. I recommend ordering half a size up and a whole size up and seeing which one fits you - for me it was a whole size up.

These sneakers are one of very few brands/models that work for my feet, which are "low volume" with a narrow heel but not narrow toes. Narrow shoes pinch my toes, most other shoes let my heels slip around and cause blisters. These are lightweight enough to cling to my foot so the heel does not rub up and down. The downside is lack of support/cushioning. Walk miles on concrete a few days in a row & my arches will hurt.

This are the most comfortable pair of sneakers I've owned. I have a slight arch and these fit perfectly. I have owned about 10 different pairs/colors over the years and I will always recommend them.

I bought the white/white pair of these shoes for my wife when they went on sale. They don't really look as bright white as they do on the website, they're a little more grey than that. She liked them so much that she didn't want to wear them outside. But, we ended up taking a trip to some national parks. She wore them every day for 10 days and walked at least 2-3 miles each day. They're a little dirty now, but they held up just fine.

I love these sneakers, theyre comfortable, bendable, grippy on the bottom, and are decent quality. They're a nice middle ground between a bulky athletic shoe and a fashion sneaker in terms of support and durability. This is my go-to style, so I wear them a lot and I'd say they last about a year where they still look decent, after which they get demoted to knock around shoes, like for painting and doing other messy stuff.

I LOVE Tigers. I’m a shoe hoarder, but these are my favorite fashion sneakers. I’ve got several pair of ultimate 81’s-they’re my ride-or-die travel shoes, that’ve been all over the US & Europe with me and I won’t leave home without them. That being said, the fit is definitely different depending on what country they’re made in- so I can wear a 7 or 7.5. The black/back seemed to run a bit smaller than other 7’s I have, so thanks to Zappos killer customer service they exchanged them without any issue ?? (also do yourself a favor and get some nice no tie laces for a streamlined look)

This is my second pair of Tigers and I like the style and fit. But the midnight blue is hella blue, much brighter than the pictures. Swapping out for black laces helped tone them down and look great.

When I was a teen in the 70s, Tigers were really unique and I wanted a pair - specifically with the blue and red stripes. So, I was really pleased to find that they still sell the Corsairs ('68), Mexicos 66s, Ultimate 81s, etc. I have several Corsairs and love them, but they are kind of hot in the summer. I love the look of the Mexicos, but I spend time in Italy and the soles are too thin for a day on cobblestones. The Ultimates are cool, both physically and stylistically, and have a more solid sole. I'm likely going to try the Serranos next.

I had to return the first pair (Woman's size 10,I am usually 9.5-10) and order a whole size larger to fit my arch support in them but I Love the 2nd pair! I thought they run a little short so maybe go 1/2 - 1 size up but then you will love them. I am going to go back and order more pairs in this size. I just wish they came in all black, sole also, so I could fake it and where them with slacks...

Love, love, love the retro look with rubber honey comb soles! I bought these in black/black, size 9.5 for a Guns N' Roses concert and the look is exactly what I was going for: keepin' it real 80's street style. Slick, athletic, casual. They feel comfortable enough to be on my feet half the night. Perfect fit with or without thin slipper socks or running socks. Will buy again!

Looks and feels great. More arch support than I typically expect from this style of sneaker.

I wanted an all-black easy sneaker that wouldn't clash with my outfits. Overall I think it's a great, light-weight shoe that I've gotten a lot of walking mileage out of. It also has a nice shape to it, not too bulky so it looks good no matter what length of pants/shorts you're wearing. I would repurchase this shoe!