This paper outlines a variety of possible applications of the Vlasov equation and its generalization, i.e., the Klimontovich equation, in various areas of many-body physics. In particular, these equations are shown to be used in relativistic plasma physics, the theory of semi-classical Bloch electrons, and the metriplectic description of dissipative processes. topics: kinetic theory of relativistic plasma, semi-classical theory of Bloch electrons, metriplectic description of dissipative processes